How to use this Page

By Anatoly Liberman

Much to my embarrassment, I am using a title of the type I ridiculed not too long ago, but the temptation was too strong, and I yielded to it. The idea (of this post, not of the title) occurred to me when I was reading a book on the history and archeology of Ancient Greece. The ultimate source of ocean in the European languages is Greek, but where the Greeks got their word is not known. Etymological conjectures on this score have not been too numerous. Some scholars compared okeanos with a Sanskrit verb and its Greek cognate meaning “to surround” (may I mention in parentheses that surround has nothing to do with round but everything with Latin superundare “rise in waves,” whose root is unda “wave”?); however, nowadays hardly anyone has trust in this connection. A Hebrew root, also meaning “surround,” holds out even less promise. Most likely, the Greeks borrowed the word from the non-Indo-European speakers of their islands.

The image of a mighty sea or river encircling the world is common in the beliefs of many Eastern peoples (the Babylonians, for instance), and it also occurs in the mythology of the Indo-Europeans. According to the most archaic Greek beliefs, the Ocean was a river, but later authors identified it with the Black Sea, and its single island with the entrance to Hades, the kingdom of the dead. Homer placed this entrance on the shore of the Ocean.

The history of the Germanic word sea presents a striking parallel to what has been said above about ocean. Its early form, recorded in fourth-century Gothic, is saiws, and, as far as we can judge, it designated, at least originally, a body of stagnant water. We know one of the Indo-European words for “sea” from Latin mare (compare such English borrowings from the Romance languages as marina, marine, marital, maritime, and marinade) and its cognates. The German for “sea” is still Meer, a synonym of See, but Engl. mere has little currency. At one time it meant “sea,” whereas today, in the rare instances it is used, it means “lake.” This puzzling confusion of words for a body of salt and of stagnant water goes back to the beginning of recorded Germanic. Thus, Grendel, the monster Beowulf killed, lived in a mere, and a detailed description of his uninviting habitat points to a swamp, but when Beowulf returned to fight Grendel’s mother, he plunged to the bottom of the sea. Yet mother and son were said to live together.

From Gothic we have an incomplete text of the Bible. The translator of the New Testament into Gothic (Wulfila) needed words for Greek limne “lake; sea” and thalassa “sea” (someone may have come across the English noun limnology “study of lakes” and the adjective thalassic “pertaining to the sea”). In addition to marei (an obvious cognate of Latin mare) and saiws, he had at his disposal a curious tautological compound marisaiws, that is, “sea-sea” or “lake-sea,” which he used to render the same limne (those interested in tautological compounds will find a special post on the subject in this blog). According to some indications, the protoform from which saiws and its cognates were derived sounded approximately like saikwi- (with the hyphen for an ending). This fact militates against the tempting comparison between saiws and Latin saevus “raging”; -k- is the problem. Probably saikwi- and its Indo-European ancestor soigwi- designated a body of stagnant water not prone to rage.

None of the other attempts to find a convincing etymology for sea has found universal recognition, and many word historians (many, not all!) tend to think that the speakers of the Germanic languages borrowed it from the former inhabitants of their homeland in northern Europe. The similarity between the search for the roots of sea and ocean is instructive. The Greeks were very well aware of the great expanse of water around their archipelago; yet the word Okeanos may be part of the pre-Greek substrate (substrate refers to a language of the indigenous population submerged in the language of the new settlers). Likewise, the isolated fact that sea has no obvious Germanic origin would prove nothing about the closeness of the first speakers of Germanic to any coast. But saiws forms part of a sizable group of words pertaining to sea and seafaring that have no convincing Indo-European etymology (sail, boat, ebb, storm, and others—they are listed on p. 277 of my book Word Origins…and How We Know Them), and in their entirety they pose the question about the home of Germanic-speakers and their familiarity with the sea. However interesting this question may be, it need not delay us here.

The Greeks, as noted, associated the Ocean with the kingdom of the dead. Germanic speakers also believed that life ends in the sea. The legendary Scyld Scefing, a king described in the opening pages of Beowulf, departs after being given a ship burial. Another ship burial was that of the Scandinavian god Baldr, the hero of a famous myth. The Gothic for “soul” is saiwala, and its etymology has been contested as vigorously as the etymology of saiws. Jacob Grimm, the elder of the two brothers of fairy tale fame, believed that saiws and saiwala are related. He may have been right. Indirect proof of his hypothesis can be seen in the proposals to connect both saiws and saiwala with either Latin saevus “raging” or Greek aiolos “rapid,” the latter familiar to us from Aeolus, the ruler of the ever-changeable winds; whence Aeolian harp.

I will take the liberty to finish this post with a personal remark about Jacob Grimm. Linguistics, literature, and history are unlike mathematics, physics, or music. One should beware of calling a language historian a genius. Yet at least three language students deserve this appellation. One of them is Jacob Grimm. The public knows him only because of the fairytales, but he was the founder of comparative Germanic philology and of several other areas of study. More important is the fact how often, though armed only with his prodigious memory and unerring intuition, rather than our dictionaries, manuals, and computers, he offered correct solutions. Every time I have a bright idea about the origin of a word, an old custom, or belief, I look up the relevant passage in the volumes of Jacob Grimm’s works. In most cases, it turns out that he anticipated my guess by at least 150 years. So I think his view of the derivation of the word soul (saiwala) is right, and I find some confirmation of it in the Greeks’ treatment of the Ocean. No doubt, Grimm knew all of it long before I was born.

So, Wonder Woman Day is fast approaching. WWD is an art show and sale that benefits Domestic Abuse Shelters and Hotlines. Last year was the first time I'd been a part of it, and it was fun. Apparently, they raised something like $26,000 and had Adam Hughes, Allison Sohn and Aaron Lopresti in attendance, doing sketches and signings.

This piece is my submission for this year. I decided to really step up my game this year and push myself a little. I think it turned out pretty well. This is all drawn in pen and colored with Copic Markers.

Disney-Marvel discourse (nicely summed up on AdWeek. Plus speculation on Disney's chance to get to the boys. Also concerns are raised by die-hard comic book fans. Meanwhile some like GeekDad on Wired express cautious optimism and others suggest... Read the rest of this post

Image via Wikipedia

What do a wheel rut, a flash of lightning and a dining table have in common?

Medical Terminology. Ever think about how a doctor in New York can speak to a doctor in Japan about medical matters. They use the same medical words. I found this fascinating, and hope you will, as well.

I’m also a Jeopardy fan. For those of you unfamiliar with this TV format, a contestant is  presented with the answer, and must deliver the definition to win a prize.

So…..here it is. It’s a medical jeopardy. Here are 127 questions.

If you’re in the medical or health care field, chances are you’ll have no trouble with most of these, The object here is to present to you the oddities of linguistic evolution.

WARNING: DO NOT USE THE MATIERIAL IN THIS ARTICLE AS PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIAL (although you might be tempted). This is simply because much of what is known about language derivatives is  assumed - not fact.*

Answers are presented on the last page.

1. FINE POWDER: from the Arabic “al” (the) and koh  l “fine impalpable powder.”

2. RUT MADE BY A WHEEL: From the Latin, “orbita.”

3. TO MAKE STICKY: From the Latin, “viscare.”

4. PERTAINING TO THE FORUM: From the Latin “forum.”

5. CAUSE OF DWARFISM: Long bones do not grow. From Greek “a” absence, “chondrus” (cartilage) and “plassein” (to form).

6. BULK OR MASS; From the Greek, “ongkos.”

7. TO INCREASE: From the Indo-European, “aweg.”

8. INSENSITIVITY TO PAIN: from the Greek “an” (without) and algesis (sense of  

pain).

9. KNOT or KNOB: From the Latin, “nodus.”

10. AN AIR DUCT: From the Greek “aer” (air) and “tereo” (I keep).

11. NOSE or SNOUT: From the Greek, “mukter.”

12. A SHEPHERD’S PIPE: From the Greek, “syringx.”

13. DULL TO PERCEPTION: from the Indo-European root, “dheubh,”

14. ONE-HALF OF THE SKULL: From the Latin, “hemicrania.”

15. LIKE A STRAIGHT SWORD: From the Greek, “xiphos.”

16. TO BLOCK or PLUG: From the Latin, “obsterix.”

17. TO BOIL OUT: From the Greek, “ek-“ (out) and “zeein” (to boil).

18. CRECENT-SHAPED: From the Greek, “meniskos.”

19. A PRICK OR PUNCTURE BY A NEEDLE:  from the Latin “acus” (needle) and     

“punctum” puncture.

20. FLASH OF LIGHTNING: From the Latin, “fulgor.”

21.  BREAST-LIKE: From the Greek, “mastos” and “eidos.”

22. THORN or PRICKLY BUSH: From the Latin, “spina.”

23. PRODUCE OR BRING FORTH: From the Greek, “gennao.”

24. ONE WHO HEALS: From the Anglo-Saxon, “laece.”

25. DRY, ACRID: From the Indo-European, “ters.”

26. TRANSPARANT STONE or CRYSTAL: From the Greek, “hyalos.”

27. CHEW: From the Anglos-Saxon, “ceowan.” (noun)

28. LIGHT GREENISH-YELLOW: From the Latin, “galbinus.”

29. WITHOUT WEIGHT or LIGHT: From the Sanskrit, “ laghu.:”

30. A CUTTING UP: from the Greek “ana” (up or through) and “tome” (a cutting).

31. GATEKEEPER: From the Greek, pyle.”

32. A COVERLET or CLOAK: From the Latin, “pallium.”

33. MINT: From the Latin, “menthe.”

34. WITHOUT A NAME: From the Latin, “innominatus.”

35. A DINING TABLE: From the Greek, “trapeze.”

36. CENTER OF WHEEL HUB: From the Anglo-Saxon, “ nafe.”

37. A TRENCH OR ABYSS: From the Old English, “grynde.”

38. AN OFFSHOOT:  from the Greek “apo” (from) and “physis” (growth).

39. ATTACK or INJURY: From the Latin, “laesia.”

40. SERVICE or ATTENDANCE: From the Greek, “therapeia.”

41. BELONGING TO A WALL: From the Latin, “parietalis.”

42. SEEING FOR ONESELF: from the Greek “auto” and “opsis” (seeing).

43. JUICE, SAP, RESIN OR GUM OF A TREE: From the Greek, “opos.”

44. SILVERY SWELLING: From the Greek, “glaukos” and “oma.”

45. TO STRETCH: From the Greek     , “teinein.”

46. TO DISGRACE, TO FALL SHORT OF:  from the Latin “degenerare.”

47. PIMPLE: From the Greek, “pomphos.”

48. A NUT OR ACORN: From the Latin. “glandulus.”

49. TO SCRAPE OR SCRATCH: From the Latin, “radere.”

50. LARGE STONE IN FRONT OF DOOR TO KEEP IT SHUT:

From the Greek, “thyreos.”

51. FLAME OR HEAT: From the Greek, “phlegma.”

52. PAUNCH or BELLY:   From the Greek, “gaster.”

53. FUNNEL: From the Latin, “infundere.”

54. YOKE CONNECTING TWO ANIMALS: From the Greek, “zygon.”

55. TO PLEASE: From the Latin, “placere.”

56. TO BEND OR TURN:  From the Latin, “flectere.”

57. EARTH OR LAND: From the Latin, “humus.”

58. HEALING OINTMENT: From the Anglo-Saxon, “sealf.”

59. TO SEND FLUID IN:  From the Greek, “en” (in) and “ienai” (to send).

60. TO DYE, STAIN, CORRUPT or BOIL: From the Latin, “inficere.”

61. A PRUNING: from the Latin “amputatio.”

62. WORKING WITH THE HANDS: From the Greek, “ cheirourgia.”

63. A FLOWING SEED: From the Greek, :”gone” and  “rheos.”

64. RELATING TO THE SPHINX

65. HOLY or CONSECRATED: From the Latin, “Sacer.”

66. TWELVE FINGERS: from the Greek, “dodek-daktulon.

67. STIFF or STRONG: From the Anglo-Saxon, “stark.”

68. A COCK’S SPUR:  From the old French, “argot” (rye plant infected by fungus.”

69. AFFLICTED WITH SPOTS: From the Old High German, “masa” and

Middle English, “mesel.”

70. TO BE ASHAMED: From the Latin, “pudere.”

71. TO WIND OR CURVE: From the Latin, “sinuare.”

72.  A CIRCULAR OR FLAT STONE: From the Greek, “discos.”

73. PAIR OF FOLDING or DOUBLE DOORS: From the Latin, “valvae.”

74. A TURBAN: From the Latin, “mitra.”

75. LACK OF NOURISHMENT: from the Greek “a-“ (without) and trophe

(nourishment).

76. FORTY: From the Latin, “quadraginta.”

77. MASS OF MOLTEN IRON: From the Latin, “strictura.”

78. A STING OR ITCH: From the Latin, “urtica.”

79.  TO TEACH: from the Latin, “docere.”

80. TO SWELL or RIPEN: From the Greek, “ orgainein.”

81. TO TAKE AWAY COLOR: From the Old French, “desteindre.”

82. WITHOUT PULSE:  from the Greek “a” (without) and “sphyxis” (pulse).

83. CORRUPT MATTER: From the Greek, “Pyon.”

84. LIE ON OR BROOD: From the Latin, “incubare.”

85. LOVE, HONOR, DESIRE: From the Sanskrit, “wan” and “van.”

86. MORE, SHIFT, CHANGE or ALTER: From the Latin, “mutare.”

87. TO APPRAISE: From the Latin, “taxare.”

88. OPEN SPACE, COURTYARD OR PARK: From the Latin “area.”

89. POUCH: From the Norman French, “poque.”

90. A TAILOR: From the Latin, “sartor.”

91. WALKING HOSPITAL:  from the French “hopital ambulant.”

92. BARK OF A TREE: From the Peruvian Indian, “kina.”

93. LITTLE BEAK: From the Anglo-Saxon, “nib.”

94. TO WEAVE: From the Latin,”textere.”

95. BOWL or SHELL: From the Nordic, “Skal.”

96. RUPTURE or HERNIA: From the Greek, “kele.”

97. TO ROLL OR TURN AROUND: From the Latin, “volvere.”

98. A BLOW OR STROKE: From the Latin, “ plege.”

99. SORE THROAT: from the Latin “angere” (to choke or throttle).

100. LITTLE BALL: From the Latin, “pilula.”

101. POUCH OF LEATHER: From the Latin, “scorteus.”

102. WHORL, EDDY or TORNADO: From the Latin, “Turbo.”

103. CLEAR WATER: From the Latin, “lympha.”

104. LITTLE NET: From the Latin, “rete.”

105 ANYTHING SCOOPED OUT: From the Greek, “skaphe.”

106. ROUGH: From the Greek, “traxus.”

107. LOSS OF MEMORY: from the Greek “a” (without) and “mensis” (memory).

108. A SQUEAKING: From the Greek, “trismos.”

109. A COOKING: From the Latin, “pepsis.”

110. UNCUT or INDIVISIBLE: from the Greek “a-“ (without) and “temnein” (to cut).

111. PEAR-SHAPED: From the Latin, “pirum” and “forma.”

112. A HOOK: From the Latin,”uncus.”

113. DIFFERENT WORK:  from the Greek “allo” (other or different) and “ergon (work).

114. SEAT OF REASON OR PASSION: From the Greek, “phren.”

115. TO WRING OUT: From the Old French,”expraindre.”

116. A FOOTPRINT: From the Latin, “vestigium.”

117. BLADDER or BAG: From the Latin, “vesiculum.”

118. SMALL ENDOCRINE GLANDS ON KIDNEYS: from the Latin “ad” (toward) and

“renes” kidneys.

119. A POUNDER: From the Latin, “pistillum.”

120. TO ACCUSTOM: From the Anglo-Saxon, “wenian.”

121. TUB or TROUGH: From the Greek, “pyelos.”

122. ARTICULATION OF ULNA AND HUMERUS: A punster’s definition.

123. PERTAINING TO NATURAL LAW: From the Greek, “physikos.”

124. THE TASTE OF ACID: from the Latin “acidus”  (sour, tart).

125: A PUSH OR IMPULSE: From the Greek, “osmos.”

126. SPROUT, BUD or OFFSHOOT:  From the Latin, “germen.”

127. A COW: From the Latin, “vacca.”

*Thanks to:

Stedman’s Medical Dictionary , 26th Edition

 Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 24th Edition

Gray’s Anatomy (any library edition).

The Language of Medicine,  4th edition, Davi-Ellen Chabner

Medical Meanings, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984

—————————————————————————————————————-

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Alcohol2. Orbit

3. Viscus

4. Forensic

5. Achondroplasia

6. Oncology

7. Waist

8. Analgesia

9. Node

10. Artery

11. Mucus

12. Syringe

13. Deaf

14. Migraine

15. Xyphoid

16. Obstetrics

17. Eczema

18. Meniscus

19. Acupuncture

20. Fulguration

21. Mastoid

22. Spine

23. Gene

24. Leech

25. Thirst

26. Hyaline

27. Jaw.

28. Jaundice

29. Lung

30. Anatomy

31. Pylorus

32. Palliate

33. Menthol

34. Innominate

35. Trapezius

36. Navel

37. Gum

38. Apophysis

39. Lesion

40. Therapy

41. Parietal

42. Autopsy

43. Opium

44. Glaucoma

45. Tendon

46. Degenerate

47. Papule

48. Gland

49. Rash

50. Thyroid

 51.Phlegm

52. Gastric

53. Infindibulum.

54. Zygomatic

55. Placebo

56. Flex

57.. Human

58. Salve

59. Enema

60. Inflammation.

61. Amputation

62. Surgery

63. Gonorrhea

64. Sphincter (interesting story)

65. Sacrum

66. Duodenum

67. Starch

68. Ergot

69. Measles

70. Pudenda

71. Sinus

72. Disc

73. Valve

74. Mitral

75. Atrophy

76. Quarantine

77. Stricture

78. Urticaria.

79. Doctor

80.  Orgasm

81. Stain

82. Asphyxia     

83. Pus

84. Incubate

85. Venereal/Venus

86. Mutate

87. Taste

88. Areola

89. Pox

90. Sartorius              

97. Ambulance

92. Quinine

93. Nipple

94. Tissue

95. Skull.

96. Keloid.

97. Vulva

98. Plague

99. Angina

100. Pill

101. Scrotum

102. Turbinate.

103. Lymph

104. Reticulum

105. Scaphoid

106. Trachea

107. Amnesia

108. Trismus

109. Pepsin

110. Atom

111. Piriform

112. Uncinate/unciform

113. Allergy

114. Phrenic           

115. Sprain

116. Vestige

117. Vesicle

118. Adrenal

119. Pestle

120. Wean

121. Pelvis

122. Funny Bone (gotcha!)                  

123. Physician/physics

124. Acrid

125. Osmosis

126. Germ

127. Vaccine

Image via Wikipedia

What do a wheel rut, a flash of lightning and a dining table have in common?

Medical Terminology. Ever think about how a doctor in New York can speak to a doctor in Japan about medical matters. They use the same medical words. I found this fascinating, and hope you will, as well.

I’m also a Jeopardy fan. For those of you unfamiliar with this TV format, a contestant is  presented with the answer, and must deliver the definition to win a prize.

So…..here it is. It’s a medical jeopardy. Here are 127 questions.

If you’re in the medical or health care field, chances are you’ll have no trouble with most of these, The object here is to present to you the oddities of linguistic evolution.

WARNING: DO NOT USE THE MATIERIAL IN THIS ARTICLE AS PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIAL (although you might be tempted). This is simply because much of what is known about language derivatives is  assumed - not fact.*

Answers are presented on the last page.

1. FINE POWDER: from the Arabic “al” (the) and koh  l “fine impalpable powder.”

2. RUT MADE BY A WHEEL: From the Latin, “orbita.”

3. TO MAKE STICKY: From the Latin, “viscare.”

4. PERTAINING TO THE FORUM: From the Latin “forum.”

5. CAUSE OF DWARFISM: Long bones do not grow. From Greek “a” absence, “chondrus” (cartilage) and “plassein” (to form).

6. BULK OR MASS; From the Greek, “ongkos.”

7. TO INCREASE: From the Indo-European, “aweg.”

8. INSENSITIVITY TO PAIN: from the Greek “an” (without) and algesis (sense of  

pain).

9. KNOT or KNOB: From the Latin, “nodus.”

10. AN AIR DUCT: From the Greek “aer” (air) and “tereo” (I keep).

11. NOSE or SNOUT: From the Greek, “mukter.”

12. A SHEPHERD’S PIPE: From the Greek, “syringx.”

13. DULL TO PERCEPTION: from the Indo-European root, “dheubh,”

14. ONE-HALF OF THE SKULL: From the Latin, “hemicrania.”

15. LIKE A STRAIGHT SWORD: From the Greek, “xiphos.”

16. TO BLOCK or PLUG: From the Latin, “obsterix.”

17. TO BOIL OUT: From the Greek, “ek-“ (out) and “zeein” (to boil).

18. CRECENT-SHAPED: From the Greek, “meniskos.”

19. A PRICK OR PUNCTURE BY A NEEDLE:  from the Latin “acus” (needle) and     

“punctum” puncture.

20. FLASH OF LIGHTNING: From the Latin, “fulgor.”

21.  BREAST-LIKE: From the Greek, “mastos” and “eidos.”

22. THORN or PRICKLY BUSH: From the Latin, “spina.”

23. PRODUCE OR BRING FORTH: From the Greek, “gennao.”

24. ONE WHO HEALS: From the Anglo-Saxon, “laece.”

25. DRY, ACRID: From the Indo-European, “ters.”

26. TRANSPARANT STONE or CRYSTAL: From the Greek, “hyalos.”

27. CHEW: From the Anglos-Saxon, “ceowan.” (noun)

28. LIGHT GREENISH-YELLOW: From the Latin, “galbinus.”

29. WITHOUT WEIGHT or LIGHT: From the Sanskrit, “ laghu.:”

30. A CUTTING UP: from the Greek “ana” (up or through) and “tome” (a cutting).

31. GATEKEEPER: From the Greek, pyle.”

32. A COVERLET or CLOAK: From the Latin, “pallium.”

33. MINT: From the Latin, “menthe.”

34. WITHOUT A NAME: From the Latin, “innominatus.”

35. A DINING TABLE: From the Greek, “trapeze.”

36. CENTER OF WHEEL HUB: From the Anglo-Saxon, “ nafe.”

37. A TRENCH OR ABYSS: From the Old English, “grynde.”

38. AN OFFSHOOT:  from the Greek “apo” (from) and “physis” (growth).

39. ATTACK or INJURY: From the Latin, “laesia.”

40. SERVICE or ATTENDANCE: From the Greek, “therapeia.”

41. BELONGING TO A WALL: From the Latin, “parietalis.”

42. SEEING FOR ONESELF: from the Greek “auto” and “opsis” (seeing).

43. JUICE, SAP, RESIN OR GUM OF A TREE: From the Greek, “opos.”

44. SILVERY SWELLING: From the Greek, “glaukos” and “oma.”

45. TO STRETCH: From the Greek     , “teinein.”

46. TO DISGRACE, TO FALL SHORT OF:  from the Latin “degenerare.”

47. PIMPLE: From the Greek, “pomphos.”

48. A NUT OR ACORN: From the Latin. “glandulus.”

49. TO SCRAPE OR SCRATCH: From the Latin, “radere.”

50. LARGE STONE IN FRONT OF DOOR TO KEEP IT SHUT:

From the Greek, “thyreos.”

51. FLAME OR HEAT: From the Greek, “phlegma.”

52. PAUNCH or BELLY:   From the Greek, “gaster.”

53. FUNNEL: From the Latin, “infundere.”

54. YOKE CONNECTING TWO ANIMALS: From the Greek, “zygon.”

55. TO PLEASE: From the Latin, “placere.”

56. TO BEND OR TURN:  From the Latin, “flectere.”

57. EARTH OR LAND: From the Latin, “humus.”

58. HEALING OINTMENT: From the Anglo-Saxon, “sealf.”

59. TO SEND FLUID IN:  From the Greek, “en” (in) and “ienai” (to send).

60. TO DYE, STAIN, CORRUPT or BOIL: From the Latin, “inficere.”

61. A PRUNING: from the Latin “amputatio.”

62. WORKING WITH THE HANDS: From the Greek, “ cheirourgia.”

63. A FLOWING SEED: From the Greek, :”gone” and  “rheos.”

64. RELATING TO THE SPHINX

65. HOLY or CONSECRATED: From the Latin, “Sacer.”

66. TWELVE FINGERS: from the Greek, “dodek-daktulon.

67. STIFF or STRONG: From the Anglo-Saxon, “stark.”

68. A COCK’S SPUR:  From the old French, “argot” (rye plant infected by fungus.”

69. AFFLICTED WITH SPOTS: From the Old High German, “masa” and

Middle English, “mesel.”

70. TO BE ASHAMED: From the Latin, “pudere.”

71. TO WIND OR CURVE: From the Latin, “sinuare.”

72.  A CIRCULAR OR FLAT STONE: From the Greek, “discos.”

73. PAIR OF FOLDING or DOUBLE DOORS: From the Latin, “valvae.”

74. A TURBAN: From the Latin, “mitra.”

75. LACK OF NOURISHMENT: from the Greek “a-“ (without) and trophe

(nourishment).

76. FORTY: From the Latin, “quadraginta.”

77. MASS OF MOLTEN IRON: From the Latin, “strictura.”

78. A STING OR ITCH: From the Latin, “urtica.”

79.  TO TEACH: from the Latin, “docere.”

80. TO SWELL or RIPEN: From the Greek, “ orgainein.”

81. TO TAKE AWAY COLOR: From the Old French, “desteindre.”

82. WITHOUT PULSE:  from the Greek “a” (without) and “sphyxis” (pulse).

83. CORRUPT MATTER: From the Greek, “Pyon.”

84. LIE ON OR BROOD: From the Latin, “incubare.”

85. LOVE, HONOR, DESIRE: From the Sanskrit, “wan” and “van.”

86. MORE, SHIFT, CHANGE or ALTER: From the Latin, “mutare.”

87. TO APPRAISE: From the Latin, “taxare.”

88. OPEN SPACE, COURTYARD OR PARK: From the Latin “area.”

89. POUCH: From the Norman French, “poque.”

90. A TAILOR: From the Latin, “sartor.”

91. WALKING HOSPITAL:  from the French “hopital ambulant.”

92. BARK OF A TREE: From the Peruvian Indian, “kina.”

93. LITTLE BEAK: From the Anglo-Saxon, “nib.”

94. TO WEAVE: From the Latin,”textere.”

95. BOWL or SHELL: From the Nordic, “Skal.”

96. RUPTURE or HERNIA: From the Greek, “kele.”

97. TO ROLL OR TURN AROUND: From the Latin, “volvere.”

98. A BLOW OR STROKE: From the Latin, “ plege.”

99. SORE THROAT: from the Latin “angere” (to choke or throttle).

100. LITTLE BALL: From the Latin, “pilula.”

101. POUCH OF LEATHER: From the Latin, “scorteus.”

102. WHORL, EDDY or TORNADO: From the Latin, “Turbo.”

103. CLEAR WATER: From the Latin, “lympha.”

104. LITTLE NET: From the Latin, “rete.”

105 ANYTHING SCOOPED OUT: From the Greek, “skaphe.”

106. ROUGH: From the Greek, “traxus.”

107. LOSS OF MEMORY: from the Greek “a” (without) and “mensis” (memory).

108. A SQUEAKING: From the Greek, “trismos.”

109. A COOKING: From the Latin, “pepsis.”

110. UNCUT or INDIVISIBLE: from the Greek “a-“ (without) and “temnein” (to cut).

111. PEAR-SHAPED: From the Latin, “pirum” and “forma.”

112. A HOOK: From the Latin,”uncus.”

113. DIFFERENT WORK:  from the Greek “allo” (other or different) and “ergon (work).

114. SEAT OF REASON OR PASSION: From the Greek, “phren.”

115. TO WRING OUT: From the Old French,”expraindre.”

116. A FOOTPRINT: From the Latin, “vestigium.”

117. BLADDER or BAG: From the Latin, “vesiculum.”

118. SMALL ENDOCRINE GLANDS ON KIDNEYS: from the Latin “ad” (toward) and

“renes” kidneys.

119. A POUNDER: From the Latin, “pistillum.”

120. TO ACCUSTOM: From the Anglo-Saxon, “wenian.”

121. TUB or TROUGH: From the Greek, “pyelos.”

122. ARTICULATION OF ULNA AND HUMERUS: A punster’s definition.

123. PERTAINING TO NATURAL LAW: From the Greek, “physikos.”

124. THE TASTE OF ACID: from the Latin “acidus”  (sour, tart).

125: A PUSH OR IMPULSE: From the Greek, “osmos.”

126. SPROUT, BUD or OFFSHOOT:  From the Latin, “germen.”

127. A COW: From the Latin, “vacca.”

*Thanks to:

Stedman’s Medical Dictionary , 26th Edition

 Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 24th Edition

Gray’s Anatomy (any library edition).

The Language of Medicine,  4th edition, Davi-Ellen Chabner

Medical Meanings, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984

—————————————————————————————————————-

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Alcohol2. Orbit

3. Viscus

4. Forensic

5. Achondroplasia

6. Oncology

7. Waist

8. Analgesia

9. Node

10. Artery

11. Mucus

12. Syringe

13. Deaf

14. Migraine

15. Xyphoid

16. Obstetrics

17. Eczema

18. Meniscus

19. Acupuncture

20. Fulguration

21. Mastoid

22. Spine

23. Gene

24. Leech

25. Thirst

26. Hyaline

27. Jaw.

28. Jaundice

29. Lung

30. Anatomy

31. Pylorus

32. Palliate

33. Menthol

34. Innominate

35. Trapezius

36. Navel

37. Gum

38. Apophysis

39. Lesion

40. Therapy

41. Parietal

42. Autopsy

43. Opium

44. Glaucoma

45. Tendon

46. Degenerate

47. Papule

48. Gland

49. Rash

50. Thyroid

 51.Phlegm

52. Gastric

53. Infindibulum.

54. Zygomatic

55. Placebo

56. Flex

57.. Human

58. Salve

59. Enema

60. Inflammation.

61. Amputation

62. Surgery

63. Gonorrhea

64. Sphincter (interesting story)

65. Sacrum

66. Duodenum

67. Starch

68. Ergot

69. Measles

70. Pudenda

71. Sinus

72. Disc

73. Valve

74. Mitral

75. Atrophy

76. Quarantine

77. Stricture

78. Urticaria.

79. Doctor

80.  Orgasm

81. Stain

82. Asphyxia     

83. Pus

84. Incubate

85. Venereal/Venus

86. Mutate

87. Taste

88. Areola

89. Pox

90. Sartorius              

97. Ambulance

92. Quinine

93. Nipple

94. Tissue

95. Skull.

96. Keloid.

97. Vulva

98. Plague

99. Angina

100. Pill

101. Scrotum

102. Turbinate.

103. Lymph

104. Reticulum

105. Scaphoid

106. Trachea

107. Amnesia

108. Trismus

109. Pepsin

110. Atom

111. Piriform

112. Uncinate/unciform

113. Allergy

114. Phrenic           

115. Sprain

116. Vestige

117. Vesicle

118. Adrenal

119. Pestle

120. Wean

121. Pelvis

122. Funny Bone (gotcha!)                  

123. Physician/physics

124. Acrid

125. Osmosis

126. Germ

127. Vaccine

Today's Ypulse interview is with Vickie Collier, a key strategist behind ABC Family's impressive evolution into one of the top-rated networks among teens and college students. To hear the details of what Vickie learned from marketing the hit series... Read the rest of this post

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Each snail mail submission I send out is securely paper-clipped together, yet time after time, all I get back is a sheaf of papers minus the paper clip.
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At first I thought editors were nipping my clips because, well, to be honest, my clips are pretty darn cool. On top of that, they are the best, the crème de la crème of paper clips.
_
After talking to a few writer friends, though, I realized the situation goes beyond paper clip style. It's not just my fancy schmancy clips that are going AWOL. Paper clips of all shapes and sizes are missing from around the globe. No submission type is spared---fiction or nonfiction, beginning readers to novels, rhyme or prose. Paper returned, paper clip not.
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Do the math, people. Publishers receive thousands of subs each month. Holy Cadiddlehoppers, Batman, that's one heckuvalot of missing paper clips. Where are they going?
_
Then it struck me: the paper clip is the editors' equivalent of notches on the bedpost. Imagine, if you will, a NY pub full of editors every Friday after work, comparing their paper clip daisy-chains to see who has the longest one. I can hear them now:
_
Editor #1 [dangling a paper clip chain that reaches to the floor and curls around the barstool leg]:
_
____Oh-ho! You think your slush pile was big this week.
____Feast your eyes on this baby.
_
Editor #2 [wrapping a paper clip chain around her neck, necklace-style, 17 times]:
_
____Aw, that's nothin'. Look how many rejections I sent
____this week.
_
Next time I'm in New York, I'm checking out editor watering holes to see if something other than peanut shells falls under the table. Those paper clips have gotta be somewhere.
_