My Life Through the Lens of Classical Vocabulary

Despite not having taken Latin or having the luxury (or ill-luck) to not be born in a century where the school system taught Ancient Greek, I did find myself speaking a bit of Greek and Latin without truly recognizing it, that is until years later. 

For the longest time, whenever I said 'butter' I was also speaking a bit of Old English (butere) which was derived from the Latin butyrum which in turn came from the Greek boútȳron. Or that when I chewed gum, the word to describe my Hubba Bubba and Bazooka Joe originally came the Latin, cummi which derived from the Greek, commi.

In school, we had to spit out our gum. Sometimes we got a warning or in the worst case, a 'detention' (from the Latin stem dētentiō - to detain). But chewing gum wasn't my thing. I enjoyed the various 'topics' (Latin topica in the plural and topiká from Aristotle's work meaning literally 'things'). For instance, I have always been drawn to maps and perhaps this derives from my passionate study of 'geography' (geo - earth, graphy - lines, so 'earth description or writing'). In high school, Mr. P., a mustachioed Italian with a flare for hand gestures taught us about The Netherlands, my father's home country and about Russia, the birthplace of my mother's father. 

Though I didn't truly enjoy it, I was very adept at 'mathematics.'  In Ancient Greek, máthēma actually means 'that which is learned' and 'what one gets to know'. Yet in our modern usage it is applied to the study of numbers, space, structure and so forth. I have always found it fascinating that a word begins with one specific meaning and finds new or an additional meaning when it is borrowed.

For instance, when you walk the streets of Europe and see a 'cathedral', the original word, kathedra meant a 'chair' or 'seat'. In my mind, and I'm certain in the thoughts of others, we most likely see a grand, often opulent building with a steeple or two. We discover the beautiful architecture and within, typically wondrous works of art, whether sculpture or painting. Of course, when we get back to basics, the cathedral is the 'seat' of the Bishop, or epískopos which means overseer or guardian. 

Then there is the word 'Catholicism', katholikismos which is Greek for 'according to the whole'. For me, growing up, Catholics were the Italians and the Polish neighbors. I never thought of them as Christians until my father's friend pointed out that they all belonged to the same source group. Christians, up to the age of ten in my mind were Baptists, Lutherans and Evangelicals as well as Mennonites and Dutch Reformed. 

Yet Catholics represent the western part of the old Roman Empire. So while the Italians, Polish, Austrians, French, and Spanish worship Christianity 'according to the whole', the former Eastern part of the Empire or Byzantine section became Orthodox (orthos - correct, doxa - opinion). (A side-note, the word 'Byzantine', which describes the architecture, art and culture of Byzantium also means 'scheming and complex' when applied to politics and methods).

The older I became, though, the more words I spoke and many of them of Greek and Latin origin or Greek-Latin mixes. I talked on the 'telephone' with my friends and girlfriends (tēle - far, phōnē - voice). I watched 'television' (Latin, visio - sight). I played 'video' games (Latin, vidē- to see). When home video cassettes became available, my father did his painstaking research and bought a Betamax (Bḗta - the second letter of the Greek alphabet). Sadly, despite my father's effort to invest in a quality product, Sony lost to VHS in its sales war due to marketing (from Vulgar Latin, marcātus, for traffic, trading). The high resolution, however of our first VCR was superior hence the 'max' or 'maximum' (Latin superlative of magnus or great) of the Betamax applied. 

In high school, I found myself drawn to the 'arts' (Latin ars, skill or craft). I already had a certain 'talent' (Latin talenta, plural of talentum derived from Greek tálanton balance, weight, monetary unit) for the guitar but also for writing and drawing. I also enjoyed painting (Latin pingere to paint).

For fun, I also enrolled in drama class (Greek for 'action' - derived from drâ (n) to do + -ma noun suffix). We learned about the history of the 'theatre', even the origin of the name, théatron, Greek meaning "a place for viewing". Interesting enough, 'tragedy' or tragōidia translates into 'goat' trág (os) 'song' ōidḗ (this latter word also finding its way into English as 'ode'). It is believed that a goat was the prize of the playwrights in Ancient Greece or that a goat may have been sacrificed during or after the piece was performed. 

Tragedies were performed for purposes pertaining to 'catharsis' (katharsis) wherein the audience felt 'cleansed' and 'purified' by viewing the sorrows and misfortunes of others. While the characters (so too, a Greek word, charaktḗr meaning a graving tool, its mark, equivalent to charak- base of charáttein to engrave) bemoaned their fates, the audience members felt 'pathos' for them. In other words, they 'suffered' along with them.

I asked our drama teacher if 'apathy' and 'pathos' were related. They were as apatheia means the 'lack of emotion'. Then, when I took Ancient History, my grade 11 teacher further explained it was actually a philosophical concept before it came to its modern use in English. For the Stoics, for instance, thinkers like Zeno of Citium and later, Seneca and Epitctus in the time of the Roman Empire regarded 'apathetia' to be the pinnacle of their thought. Then, it was preferable to exist in a mindset emotionally unmoved, to be distant and untouched by the passions. Whereas Aristotle, writer of Topika (or 'Things'), wrote in his Ethics about finding a balance, the Stoics said a laconic (Greek Lákōn a Laconian, people known for their verbal austerity)  'no' to feeling completely.

(And, before I get to the end here, as for 'comedy', it is derived  the Greek - kômo (s) - merry-making  and aoidós -singer.)

From high school to university (Latin ūniversitās or totality, equivalent to ūnivers), I went on to study 'psychology' and 'philosophy.' Many of us know the former word means 'study of the soul or mind' and the latter 'as love of wisdom'. I also joined a 'photography' (phōtos - light, and graphé meaning lines or drawing) club and when I was sick, I learned about different 'therapies' (therapeía - healing) on my journey to wholeness. 'Psychotherapy' being one of them and yes, one could translate it as the 'healing of the soul'.

Of course, wine has played a large and beneficial part in my life. I have always believed in its healing as well as 'social' (Latin socius - or companion, comrade, partner) properties. I considered getting into 'oenology' (oinos - wine) and becoming a winemaker but I think I would rather become a teacher of English and sip the Dionysian drink after a long day.