RSSBrontophobia
Mar 24
Definition:
an abnormal fear of thunder
Description:
Bronto = Greek word for ‘thunder’
+ phobia = fear
Does the word ‘Bronto’ ring a bell? Well, ‘brontosaurus’ means ‘thunder lizard’…
Feature Word: Bite the Dust
Definition:
To die or suffer a severe setback.
Description:
Homer Iliad: ‘May his fellow warriors fall round him to the earth and bite the dust.’
Source:
Homer, IliadSophomoric
Mar 07
Everyday, Life greek No Comments
Definition:
conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature
Description:
Sophomores get a bad rap. A lot of people seem to think they’re foolish (no matter what they do), when they know they’re pretty wise. The history of the words ‘sophomore’ and ‘sophomoric’ (which developed from ‘sophomore’) proves that it has always been tough to be a sophomore.
Those words probably come from a combination of the Greek terms ‘sophos’ (which means ‘wise’) and ‘moros’ (which means ‘foolish’). But sophomores can take comfort in the fact that some very impressive words, including ‘philosopher’ and ‘sophisticated,’ are also related to ‘sophos.’
Sin
Mar 07
Religion greek, military No Comments
Definition:
estrangement from god
Description:
Most people think that the word ‘sin’ means that one has done a deed that is evil. The word arose from the Greeks, who used the term when an archer has missed his mark.
So, in essence, the word “sin” just means: “one has missed the mark.”
Pandora’s Box
Mar 07
Literary, Mythology greek 1 Comment
Definition:
a prolific source of troubles
Description:
According to Greek mythology, the problems brought by Pandora’s box started with Prometheus. He was a Titan, one of the first Greek gods. He stole the secret of fire from his fellow gods and shared it with mortal humans. To punish humans, the gods then created Pandora. Each god gave her a gift to make her appealing (her name comes from a Greek word meaning ‘all gifted’ or ‘all giving’). Then they sent her to the mortals with a jar full of evils. Pandora’s curiosity prompted her to open the box, and all those ills escaped to plague humanity.
Oxymoron
Mar 07
Life, Literary greek No Comments
Definition:
A seeming contradiction.
Description:
2 Greek derivatives:
‘Oxy’ which means ‘sharp’ ‘Moros’ which means ‘dull’ which are opposites.
It referrs to terms like ‘act natural’ ‘false truth’ ‘athletic scholarship’ etc.