[lit-ideas] Re: Words...


Le 29 août 05, à 08:07, Steven G. Cameron a écrit :


Interesting etymology:

TC,

/Steve Cameron, NJ


axiomatic (ak-see-uh-MAT-ik) adjective

   1. Indisputably true; self-evident.

   2. Aphoristic.

[From Greek axiomatikos, from axioma (honorable).

M.C. Not quite. Axioma can't mean honorable, because honorable is an adjective, while axioma is a noun. Axioma starts off meaning "honor", "reputation", "rank", whence "that which is thought fit, decision, decree", and finally, in mathematics, "that which is assumed as the basis of demonstration, selfevident principle". The root is the verb axioun, "esteem, honour, think worthy"


Ultimately from
Indo-European root ag- (to drive, draw) that's also the fount of such
words as act, agent, agitate, litigate, synagogue, and ambassador.]

M.C. More precisely, Axioun is a denominative verb formed from the adjective axios, "worthy", which in turn derives from *ag-tios, "counterbalancing", from the verb ago, "draw down on a scale, hence weigh".



Researching further, synagogue has an intriguing etymology:

[Middle English, from Old French sinagoge, from Late Latin synagga [that is, synagoga - MC], from Greek sunagg [that is, sunagoge - MC], assembly, synagogue, from sunagein, to bring together : sun-, syn- + agein, to lead; see ag- in Indo-European Roots.]

Was actually surprised to discover synagogue's origin; obviously not from Hebrew! 

M.C. Yup. Compare ecclesiastic from Greek ekklesia, "assembly".

Best, Mike. 



Michael Chase
(goya@xxxxxxxxxxx)
CNRS UPR 76
7, rue Guy Moquet
Villejuif 94801
France

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