The Odyssey of words Fifth unit: words to create a fairy tale 1. τηλέφωνο The word telephone comes from Greek «τηλε» (tele) meaning far + «φωνή» (phoni) meaning "sound, voice". 2. αστυνομία The word "police" comes from the ancient Greek noun "πολιτεία" = "all citizens, democratic constitution" in relation to the word «πόλις» (polis) = “city”. Initially the word had the meaning of "good order, good administration", later the word took the more restricted meaning of "set of rules to follow" and then "administration ensuring good order". 3. φωτογραφία The word photograph is a compound word from photo- which comes from the Greek noun «φως» (phos) meaning “light” and -graph which comes from the verb «γράφω» (grapho) = “to write”. 4. αίνιγμα The word enigma comes from the Greek word «αἴνιγμα» (enigma) meaning "a dark saying, riddle," from the ancient Greek verb «αἰνίσσομαι» which means "speak obscurely, speak in riddles". 5. άρωμα The word aroma comes from Greek «ἄρωμα» (aroma) meaning "seasoning, a spice or sweet herb", which is of unknown origin. 6. εικόνα The word icon comes from the Greek noun «εἰκών» (ikon) which means "image, portrait". The word is related to the verb «ἔοικα» (eika) = "be like, look like". 7. είδωλο Idol: this is from Greek «εἴδωλον» (idolon) = "mental image, apparition, phantom" from «εἶδος» (eidos) = "form, shape; likeness, resemblance". 8. ορφανός The word orphan comes from Greek «ὀρφανός» (orphanos) = "orphaned, without parents, fatherless, literally "deprived," from «ὄρφος» (orphos) = "bereft" "bereft of father". 9. μητέρα
A Minoan idol
The word mother comes from the Sanskrit "meter", a root that was used by the Greeks in the word «μήτηρ» = mother. Later, the word passed into the Latin language as “mater”.
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The Odyssey of words 10. πατέρας The word father comes from the Indo-European root "pater" which was used by the Greeks in the word «πατήρ» = father. Later, the word passed into the Latin language. 11. κατακλυσμός The word cataclysm comes directly from Greek «κατακλυσμός» (kataklysmos) ="deluge, flood, inundation," from the verb «κατακλύζω» (kataklyzo) = "to deluge". It’s a compound word from the preposition «κατά» (kata) = "down" + «κλύζω» (klyzo) = "wash with water". 12. καταστροφή The word catastrophe comes from the Greek noun «καταστροφή» (katastrophe) = "an overturning; a sudden end," from the Greek verb «καταστρέφω» “katastrefo” = "to overturn, turn down, trample on; to come to an end". It’s a compound word from the preposition «κατά» (kata) meaning "down" and the verb «στρέφω» (strefo) meaning "turn". 13. ωκεανός The word ocean comes from the Greek word «ὠκεανός» (okeanos), the great river or sea surrounding the disk of the Earth (as opposed to the Mediterranean), of unknown origin. It was personified as Oceanus, son of Uranus and Gaia and husband of Tethys. In early times, when the only known land masses were Eurasia and Africa, the ocean was an endless river that flowed around them.
14. ναυτικός The adjective nautical comes from the Greek word «ναυτικός» (nautikos) meaning "seafaring, naval," from «ναύτης» (nautes) = "sailor" from «ναυς» (naus) = "ship" (see naval). 15. όαση The word oasis comes from Greek «ὄασις» (oasis) with the same meaning. 16. δυναμίτης The word dynamite comes from Greek «δύναμις» (dynamis) meanign "power" with the suffix -ite (see dynamic adj). 17. κρύσταλλο The word crystal comes from Greek «κρύσταλλος» (krystallos) from «κρύος» (kryos) = "frost".
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The Odyssey of words 18. ήρωας The word hero comes from Greek «ἥρως» (heros) "demi-god," a variant singular of which was heroe. This is of uncertain origin. In classical mythology the word means "man born from a god and a mortal," especially one who had done service to mankind. With the exception of Heracles, the word was limited to local deities and patrons of cities. 19. ιδέα The word idea comes from Greek «ἰδέα» (idea) = "form; the look of a thing; a kind, sort, nature; mode" in logic, "a class, kind, sort, species," from a theme of the verb «ὁρῶ», past tense «ἰδεῖν» (idein) = "to see”. 20. δράκος The word dragon comes from Greek «δράκων» (drakon) meaning "serpent, giant sea fish", apparently from drak-, related to the verb «δέρκομαι» (derkome) = "to see clearly". This word was given in reptiles due to their gaze, by which, (many times) they paralyze their prey. 21. φίλτρο The word philtre comes from Greek «φίλτρον» (philtron) = "love-charm" literally "to make oneself beloved," from «φιλῶ» (philo) = "to love" + suffix «-τρον» (-tron). 22. άγγελος The word angel comes from Greek «ἄγγελος» (angelos), literally "messenger, envoy, one that announces". 23. πανοπλία The word panoply comes from Greek «πανοπλία» (panoplia) = «ὅπλα» (hopla = plural), "arms" of a hoplites (= "heavily armed soldier"). 24. λαβύρινθος
Ariane, Theseus and the Minotaur Middle Ages
The word labyrinth comes from Greek «λαβύρινθος» (labyrinthos) = "maze, large building with intricate passages," especially the structure built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Daedalus had so cunningly made the Labyrinth that he could barely escape it after he built it. Its function was to hold the Minotaur. King Minos had waged war with the Athenians and was successful. He then Linda Alexopoulou – Theodoros Tomaras
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The Odyssey of words demanded that, at nine-year intervals, seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls were to be sent to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster that lived in the Labyrinth. One year, the sacrificial party included Theseus, the son of King Aegeus, who volunteered to come and kill the Minotaur. Ariadne fell in love at first sight, and helped him by giving him a sword and a ball of thread, so that he could find his way out of the Minotaur's labyrinth. 25. μαγεία - μαγικός The word magic comes from Greek «μαγικός» (magikos) = "magical," from «μάγος» (magos) = "one of the members of the learned and priestly class". The adjective magical comes from magic (n.) + the suffix -al. 26. άβυσσος The noun abyss comes from Greek «ἄβυσσος» (abyssos) = "bottomless, unfathomed". This is a compound of a- = "without" + «βυσσός» (byssos) = poetic type of the word «βυθός» (bythos) = "seabed". 27. μυστήριο - μυστηριώδης The word mystery comes from Greek «μυστήριον» (mysterion) (usually in plural mysteria) = "secret rite or doctrine," from «μύστης» (mystes) "one who has been initiated," from «μύω» (myo) "to close, shut" (see mute); perhaps referring to the lips (in secrecy) or to the eyes (only initiates were allowed to see the sacred rites). The adjective mysterious comes from mystery. 28. φαντασία The word fantasy comes from Greek «φαντασία» (phantasia) from the verb «φαντάζομαι» (phantazomai) = "to imagine, have visions ", related to the noun «φῶς» (phos) = "light," and the ancient verb «φαίνω» (phainο) = "to show, to bring to light". 29. φάντασμα The noun phantom comes from Greek «φάντασμα» (phantasma) and it has the same etymology as the word fantasy. 30. ακροβάτης The word acrobat comes from Greek «ακροβάτης» (akrobates) = "rope dancer, gymnastic performer", from «ἄκρος» (akros) = "topmost, at the point end" + «-βάτης» from «βατός» = “one that goes, one that is based”. The second element comes from the verb «βαίνω» (vaino) = "go, walk, step". 31. σανδάλι The word sandal comes from Greek «σανδάλιον» (sandalion), diminutive «σάνδαλον» (sandalon) = "sandal", of unknown origin, perhaps from Persian.
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