Diaphanitas

"Nova Derivativa Verba Latina, Pars Sexagesima Quinta"
"New Latin Derivatives, Part Sixty-Five"

Mary is this:

hemitribadoides -is (ἡμιτριβαδοειδής) "semi-EEKy"
( Etymologia )

"De Nomine 'Lingua Theodisca'"
"About the name 'Lingua Theodisca'"

Am I the only person who thinks that "Lingua Theodisca" is a pretty silly-sounding Neo-Latin name for the modern German language?

Here is an interesting article:

Theodiscus

Not only does "Theodisca" make me think of Odin, Thor, and Freyja doing disco, it also sounds like a hypercorrection to me.

I think Lingua Germanica sounds much better.

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Tertia Decima"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Thirteen"

Silliness:

deficidefectuare -o -avi -atum "to fail at failing"
( Etymologia )

"Novum Verbum Latinum"
"A New Latin Word"

That's right!

dimsum -i n. "dim sum"

Sounds great to me!

"Nova Derivativa Verba Latina, Pars Sexagesima Quarta"
"New Latin Derivatives, Part Sixty-Four"

My nose lately:

epitoniaceus -a -um "faucet-like"
( Etymologia )

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Duodecima"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Twelve"

Quia hi homines mihi non placent:

historinegans -antis com. "history-denier"
( Etymologia )

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Undecima"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Eleven"

Random:

legicola -ae "law-worshipping"
( Etymology )

"Hodie: Duae Probationes!"
"Today: Two Tests!"

Et eas vero vincam!

"Studialia!"
"Studyfest!"

It's going to be all weekend long!

I have a Latin test and a Greek quiz on Monday!

Sicut Melissa dicit: O dulce Macaronoteras Volatile!

"Lingua Ratina Diei, Pars Prima!"
"Ratin of the Day!"

That's right, Ratin! You know, like Engrish but with Latin instead of English!

A large number of sites have this nonsense:

E Unibus Plurum

It doesn't mean anything in the actual Latin language. Someone took the phrase e pluribus unum ("from many, one") and switched around the endings. "From one, many" is e uno plures.

I found a rationalization for the use of the Ratin phrase:

http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showpost.php?s=2ee4af3512aff64381776a66d119991d&p=4839071&postcount=34

I know the Latin translation is incorrect. I leave it that way for two reasons, one because "E Unibus Plurum" is easily recognizable to those who dont speak Latin as being "E Pluribus Unam" reversed.

Second, considering the statement Im trying to make, (what kind of country we are becoming) the incorrect translation seems more fitting, dont you think?

Ah, but because people generaly don't know Latin, the ones who do know it are always going to assume that you don't know the words are wrong and will always correct you.

"Verba Latina Significantia 'Know-It-All'"
"Latin Words Meaning 'Know-It-All'"

I was going to coin Latin words meaning "know-it-all":

omnisciolus (masculine), omnisciola (feminine).

It turns out that the masculine form of the word already exists:

http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~ramminger/words/2/008126.htm

Alleswisser = know-it-all.

What a coincidink!

"Dawkins et Verbum Latinum"
"Dawkins and a Latin Word"

My hero Richard Dawkins begins the first chapter of this new book, The Greatest Show on Earth, with a paragraph that is Relevant to My Interests:

Imagine that you are a teacher of Roman history and the Latin language, anxious to impart your enthusiasm for the ancient world — for the elegiacs of Ovid and the odes of Horace, the sinewy economy of Latin grammar as exhibited in the oratory of Cicero, the strategic niceties of the Punic Wars, the generalship of Julius Caesar and the voluptuous excesses of the later emperors. That’s a big undertaking and it takes time, concentration, dedication. Yet you find your precious time continually preyed upon, and your class’s attention distracted, by a baying pack of ignoramuses (as a Latin scholar you would know better than to say ignorami) who, with strong political and especially financial support, scurry about tirelessly attempting to persuade your unfortunate pupils that the Romans never existed. There never was a Roman Empire. The entire world came into existence only just beyond living memory. Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, Catalan, Occitan, Romansh: all these languages and their constituent dialects sprang spontaneously and separately into being, and owe nothing to any predecessor such as Latin. Instead of devoting your full attention to the noble vocation of classical scholar and teacher, you are forced to divert your time and energy to a rearguard defence of the proposition that the Romans existed at all: a defence against an exhibition of ignorant prejudice that would make you weep if you weren’t too busy fighting it.

Nice analogy! But I have a problem with one of the statements he makes in the paragraph, and anyone has been reading my blog here long enough knows what it is!

This is the problematic statement:

ignoramuses (as a Latin scholar you would know better than to say ignorami)

Sorry Richard, but that's not right.

Ignoramus in classical Latin is indeed a verb form meaning "we are ignorant."

But the word ignoramus became the name Ignoramus in Thomas Ruggles's play Ignoramus, and in the Latin version of the play, the name Ignoramus is a second-declension noun (Ignorami, Ignoramo, Ignoramum, Ignoramo, Ignorame). More than one Ignoramus, in Latin, would in fact be Ignorami.

Our noun use of ignoramus comes from that Latin noun use, not from the Latin verb use, as so many people seem to think is the case.

This Latin scholar is perfectly okay with ignorami!

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Decima"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Ten"

Yes:

papaverigerium -ii n. "wearing of poppies"
( Etymology )

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Nona"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Nine"

Random:

flammiiactus -a -um "flame-throwing"
( Etymology )

"Probatio in Classe Linguae Latinae!"
"The Latin Exam!"

Good grade on the latin exam is good!

Very exciting!

"Hodie: Studialia!"
"Today: Studyfest!"

That's right!

Latin exam is tomorrow!

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Octava"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Eight"

Kitty purrs are this:

tactactivatus -a -um "touch-activated"
( Etymologia )

"Speciesist? Aut Specist?"
"Speciesist? Or Specist?"

I never liked the structure of the word speciesist much. It sounds a bit strange to me because of those "S"es.

This word was formed just by adding -ist to species. Although species is an English word that comes from Latin, the speciesist word was not formed according to Latin word formation rules.

Latin would make the word species and the suffix -ista (the Latin form of -ist) into specista, where the final s (a case ending) and stem vowel e disappeared, and the ii combination of speci-ista becomes i (Latin hates the ii combination). The English form of the word would be specist.

If Latin were not to drop the -es part (which is not usual for polysyllabic words), it actually would not keep the s (intervocalic s) because that s would become r (cf. spes, but sperare), which would give us specierista, and that is just plain weird. Neither Latin nor English uses a form of species with an r after ie.

At any rate, I think I like specist better than speciesist. This also goes for the corresponding words specism and speciesism.

What do you think?

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Septima"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Seven"

Yes:

felifruus -a -um "enjoying kitties"
( Etymologia )

"Nonnulli Dies"
"Some Days"

Some days, like today, could have turned out better, I'm telling you.

( Heu )

Anyway, it is going to be time to study for next week's Latin exam soon.

"Animal: Darwinopterus!"
"A Critter: Darwinopterus!"

Look:

New flying reptile fossils found

Darwinopterus

Darwinopterus is a genus of pterosaur, discovered in China and named after biologist Charles Darwin. It is known from about 20 fossil specimens, all collected from the Tiaojishan Formation, which dates to the middle Jurassic period.^[1] The type (and only) species displays features of both long tailed (rhamphorhynchoid) and short tailed (pterodactyloid) pterosaurs, and has been described as a transitional fossil between the two groups.^[2]

The name Darwinopterus literally means "Darwin Wing." Randomosity!

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Sexta"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Six"

Hilarious:

Partygoer #1: See, 'cause god gave us Jesus... but then he took him back!
Partygoer #2: God's a big Indian giver.
Partygoer #1: That's the real message of the season. But let's see parents teaching that to their kids!

Therefore:

Indianidator -oris m. "Indian giver"
( Etymologia )

I suppose god was an Indian giver to Melissa! Yes!

"Forma Pluralis Verbi Kleenex?"
"The Plural Form of the WordKleenex?"

That would be Kleenices. So:

Kleenex -icis m. "Kleenex."

There is a huge pile of Kleenices on the floor next to my desk.

How annoying!

"Nova Derivativa Verba Latina, Pars Sexagesima Tertia"
"New Latin Derivatives, Part Sixty-Three"

How about diminutive forms of the nine pronominal adjectives in Latin? The nine are unus, nullus, ullus, solus, neuter, alter, uter, totus, alius -- UNUS NAUTA!

• unulus -a -um "one" (implying smallness)
  ( Etymologia )
  
  
• nullulus -a -um "none" (implying smallness)
  ( Etymologia )
  
  
• ullulus -a -um "any" (implying smallness)
  ( Etymologia )
  
  
• solulus -a -um "alone" (implying smallness)
  ( Etymologia )
  
  
• neutellus -a -um "neither" (implying smallness)
  ( Etymologia )
  
  
• altellus -a -um "other of two" (implying smallness)
  ( Etymologia )
  
  
• utellus -a -um "which of two" (implying smallness)
  ( Etymologia )
  
  
• totulus -a -um "entire" (implying smallness)
  ( Etymologia )
  
  
• aliolus -a -um "another" (implying smallness)
  ( Etymologia )

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Quinta"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Five"

Sometimes I belong in a

semividomus -us f. "halfway house"
( Etymologia )

But sometimes I don't.

"Hodie: Non Idus Octobres"
"Today: Not the Ides of October"

The Ides are going to be on the 15th this month.

Just saying.

"Novum Verbum Maximi Pigliucci: Logophobia"
"Massimo Pigliucci's New Word: Logophobia"

I bought the September/October 2009 issue of Skeptical Inquirer magazine a few weeks ago. Right before I paid for it, I happened to notice Massimo Pigliucci's article Logophobia. The opening paragraph piqued my interest:

I wish to introduce readers of the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER to a wonderfully useful term to skeptics, logophobia. Its Greek roots are obvious: logos means thought, particularly rational thought, and phobos means fear of. Logophobia is defined as "a skeptical doctrine about rationality ... [where] rationality cannot be an objective constraint on us but is just whatever we make it, and what we make it depends on what we value."

I admire Massimo's bringing this important issue to our attention, but what I take issue is the word he is using.

As some of my readers know, I really am a stickler for the creation of sensibly formed neologisms when they come from Greek and Latin. I have already criticized the strange word Eupraxsophy, coined by Paul Kurtz, who happens to be on the Editorial Board of the Skeptical Inquirer magazine:

http://diaphanus.livejournal.com/844899.html

The problem with the word logophobia is that, while the Greek word λόγος (logos) can possibly mean "thought" in the right context, the word has many other things, including "word," "argument," "computation," "reckoning," and many others. On the other hand, in English usage, the logo- combining form has for the most part been narrowed to "word" or even "speech." So, we have words like logotype and logogram. For this reason, logophobia looks as if it ought to be mean "fear of words," where the Greek prefix has the meaning of "word" instead of "thought."

There is also the fact that logophobia already has an established range of meanings:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/logophobia?r=66

"an obsessive fear of words" and "a fear of words, talking" and "a fear of words."

A Greek word that would fit better is φροντίς (phrontis), meaning "thought" or "power of thought." Here is an article on this word and some related ones:

http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/1650/

The Greeks had a word, phrontisterion, to indicate a place for thought and study or a "thinking-shop" (think tank?). Aristophanes (c. 450-c. 380 B.C.), was an Athenian dramatist who is known to have written more than 40 comedies that gave satiric expression to his strong, conservative prejudices against certain trends and personalities in the Athens of his day. It was this Aristophanes who used the Greek equivalent of phrontistery to ridicule the school of Socrates.

The Greek noun was derived from phrontistes (philosopher, profound thinker, one with intellectual pretensions) from the verb phrontizein (to reflect), based on phrontis (thought, reflection). The word phrontist applies to a "deep thinker," a "person involved in study, reflection, meditation," and it, too, in its Greek form, was applied ironically by Aristophanes to Socrates himself.

1000 Most Obscure Words by Norman W. Schur
(New York: Facts On File, 1990), p. 164.

So, yes, phrontis and some related words have some history behind them!

For Massimo, I suggest the word phrontidophobia (in Greek: φροντιδοφοβία) for the idea that he was going for when he wrote his article. Not only is it more specific and precise, but it also does not have an already established meaning, and it has some good alliteration with the two instances of the ph.

"Verba Diminutiva Latina: Verba Quaedam et Suffixa -la-/-lo-"
"Latin Diminutive Words: Certain Words and the Suffixes -la-/-lo-"

( Res )

"Decem Verba Latina Iocosa"
"Ten Funny Latin Words"

LOL:

• fartus (stuffed)
  
• facit (he/she/it makes)
  
• homo (human)
  
• erectus (erectus)
  
• fui (I was)
  
• emo (I buy)
  
• placenta (cake)
  
• vagina (sheath)
  
• anus (old woman)
  
• cervix (neck)

"Nova Derivativa Verba Latina, Pars Sexagesima Secunda"
"New Latin Derivatives, Part Sixty-Two"

Not bad:

http://drachearannak.deviantart.com/art/Sailor-Princesses-Fantasy-114168403

Therefore:

nautriaceus -a -um "sailor-ish"
( Etymologia )

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Quarta"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Four"

Good idear:

vocilitterae -arum f. "voicemail"
( Etymologia )

"Nova Derivativa Verba Latina, Pars Sexagesima Prima"
"New Latin Derivatives, Part Sixty-One"

An adverb this time:

tribadoiditer "in an EEKy manner"
( Etymologia )

"De Suffixis -trina, -ina, -ena"
"About the Suffixes -trina, -ina, -ena"

( Res de Illis Suffixis )

"De Nomine Animalis Ardipithecus"
"About the Name of the Critter Ardipithecus"

Interesting critter:

Ardipithecus ramidus

What a day to be stuck in airplanes for hours on end; I had to slurp in a bunch of files on my iPhone and then look at them on that itty-bitty screen, just to catch up on the story of Ardipithecus. Fortunately, you can just read Carl Zimmer's excellent summary to find out what's cool about it.

For a summary of a summary: it's another transitional fossil in our lineage. Ardipithecus ramidus is old, 4.4 million years or so — so it's well before Lucy and the australopithecines. The latest result is a thorough analysis of a large number of collected specimens that shows it is an interesting mosaic of traits: it was bipedal, but not quite so well adapted to terrestrial locomotion as we are, and it had feet with an opposable big toe. And of course it had a small brain, only a little larger than a chimpanzee's.

Wow, exciting stuff!

( Res )

At any rate, I find the name interesting!

From Wikipedia:

Pithecus means "ape" or "monkey" in both Greek and Latin.^[2] In the local Afar language:^[3]

• Ardi is "ground floor"
• ramidus comes from ramid or "root"
• kadabba is "basal ancestor"

That is a strange way of describing the word Pithecus. It is not exactly wrong, and I would not have put it that way. It is a Latin word, but it is a Latinization of the Greek word πίθηκος.

Okay, so Ardipithecus ramidus means "Ground Floor Ape (The) Root," and Ardipithecus kadabba means "Ground Floor Ape (The) Basal Ancestor," eh? It certainly all sounds much better in Neo-Latin, let me tell you!

LWotP: Ardipithecus -i m. "Ardipithecus."

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Tertia"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Three"

Melissa is this:

sciurispex -icis com. "squirrel watcher"
( Etymologia )

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Secunda"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred Two"

Kitties are this:

semperlavans -antis "ever-washing"
( Etymologia )

"Versio Excellens Carminis In Taberna Quando Sumus"
"Excellens Version of the Song In Taberna Quando Sumus"

Very nice:

( !!!!!!! )

"Nova Derivativa Verba Latina, Pars Sexagesima"
"New Latin Derivatives, Part Sixty"

( De Verb Esse )

Some words from esse:

sibilis -e "able to be," "be-able," "able to exist"
( Etymologia )

sitare -o -avi -atum "to keep on existing"
( Etymologia )

futare -o -avi -atum "to keep on existing"
( Etymologia )

sescere -o "to begin to exist"
( Etymologia )

sillare -o avi -atum "to kinda exist," "to exist feebly"
( Etymologia )

futurire -io -ivi -itum "to want to exist," "to want to be"
( Etymologia )

sessere -o "to exist eagerly"
( Etymologia )

sitrare -o -avi -atum "to cause to exist"
( Etymologia )

futor -oris m. "one who exists"
( Etymologia )

so -onis m. "one who exists"
( Etymologia )

futrix -icis f. "one who exists"
( Etymologia )

futrum -tri n. "something that exists"
( Etymologia )

sentia -ae f. "existence," "being"
( Etymologia )

sestas -tatis f. "existence," "being"
( Etymologia )

suntas -tatis f. "existence," "being"
( Etymologia )

sor -oris m. "existence," "being"
( Etymologia )

futura -ae f. "existence," "being"
( Etymologia )

futus -us m. "existence," "being"
( Etymologia )

sio -ionis f. "existence," "being"
( Etymologia )

futio -ionis f. "existence," "being"
( Etymologia )

futivus -a -um "existing"
( Etymologia )

sulus -a -um "prone to be," "prone to exist"
( Etymologia )

simen -inis n. "thing that exists"
( Etymologia )

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima Prima"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred One"

Random:

novifolivertus -a -um "turning over a new leaf"
( Etymologia )

"Nova Derivativa Verba Latina, Pars Undesexagesima"
"New Latin Derivatives, Part Fifty-Nine"

Servicey:

http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25102/Mirai+Apron.html

Not bad! Therefore:

ventraliatus -a -um "wearing an apron"
( Etymologia )

"Disputatiuncula de Nomine Raptorex"
"A Small Discussion about the Name Raptorex"

That's right:

( !!! )

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Septingentesima"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Seven Hundred"

Kitties are this:

laudipetus -a -um "praise-seeking"
( Etymologia )

"Nova Derivativa Verba Latina, Pars Duodesexagesima"
"New Latin Derivatives, Part Fifty-Eight"

The suffix -ona is found at the end of the names of several goddesses. The -ona is added to verb stems and noun stems, and also to adjective stems (although I have no example). Some of these names are:

• Abeona [from abire] (goddess of departing children),
  
• Adeona [from adire] (goddess of new-comers),
  
• Annona [from annus] (goddess of the year),
  
• Bellona [from bellum] (goddess of war),
  
• Intercidona [from intercidere] (goddess associated with a hatchet cut),
  
• Mellona [from mel] (goddess of bees and honey),
  
• Orbona [from orbus] (goddess of bereaved parents),
  
• Pomona [from pomum] (goddess of fruit).

Therefore:

Visolusuona -ae f. "goddess of video games"
( Etymologia )

Felona -ae f. "goddess of cats"
( Etymologia )

Computatrona -ae f. "goddess of computers"
( Etymologia )

Stultitiona -ae f. "goddess of stupidity"
( Etymologia )

Librona -ae f. "goddess of books"
( Etymologia )

"Nova Derivativa Verba Latina, Pars Quinquagesima Septima"
"New Latin Derivatives, Part Fifty-Seven"

LOL:

http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3306

Therefore:

tribadescere -o "to become a lesbian"
( Etymologia )

Catlord, would you like to become a lesbian?

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Undeseptingentesima"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Six Hundred Ninety-Nine"

LOL:

lintrivolutus -a -um "boat-rolled"
( Etymologia )

"Nova Iuncta Verba Latina, Pars Duodeseptingentesima"
"New Latin Compounds, Part Six Hundred Ninety-Eight"

Funny:

Beer Flavored Popcorn

Yummy! Therefore:

cervisisaporus -a -um "beer-flavored"
( Etymologia )

"Desipientia Fortuita!"
"Random Silliness"

I have come up with a new Latin verb:

nintendo, nintendere, nintendi, nintensum "to play video games with fiery passion"

Har har har har!

"Formatio Adverbiorum Numeralium Latinorum in -ies"
"The Formation of Latin Numeral Adverbs in -ies"

( Res )

"Nova Derivativa Verba Latina, Pars Quinquagesima Sexta"
"New Latin Derivatives, Part Fifty-Six"

To continue the theme from the old post http://diaphanus.livejournal.com/1482034.html, I have these:

flavatus -a -um "dressed in yellow"
( Etymologia )

purpureatus -a -um "dressed in purple"
( Etymologia )

violaceatus -a -um "dressed in violet"
( Etymologia )

magenteatus -a -um "dressed in magenta"
( Etymologia )

indigoticatus -a -um "dressed in indigo"
( Etymologia )

aquaticatus -a -um "dressed in aqua"
( Etymologia )

brunneatus -a -u m "dressed in brown"
( Etymologia )

canatus -a -um "dressed in gray"
( Etymologia )

"Nova Derivativa Verba Latina, Pars Quinquagesima Quinta"
"New Latin Derivatives, Part Fifty-Five"

Random:

felescere -o "to become a cat"
( Etymologia )

Mreow!