Re: today's fun fact

From: Don Cunningham (cunningh@indiana.edu)
Date: Thu Aug 24 2000 - 13:26:30 PDT


My own favorite in this vein is the origin of the word "symposium".
This from the OED

***********
symposium

symposium simpou.ziAm. Also 7-9 -ion. Pl. -ia (rarely -iums).
[a. L. symposium, ad. Gr. sumposion, f. sumpothj fellow-drinker
(cf. sumpinein to drink together), f. sun sym- + pothj drinker
(cf. potimoj drinkable, poton drink). ]

1.

a. A drinking-party; a convivial meeting for drinking, conversation,
and intellectual entertainment: properly among the ancient Greeks,
hence generally.

************

I never could get AERA to change their format for symposia to
accommodate this definition............djc

>A comment/question, once removed from the author:
>
>>
>>cool, vos Graeci use what word in modern Greek I wonder. sittubas, here is a
>>shot in the dark wild idea, given that this is greek - but using latin roots
>>would sittu bas mean situated beneath? i.e. the idea of an index to mark
>>what is situated beneath? just a thought.
>>
>
>Bill Barowy, Associate Professor
>Lesley College
>29 Everett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-2790
>Phone: 617-349-8168 / Fax: 617-349-8169
>http://www.lesley.edu/faculty/wbarowy/Barowy.html
>_______________________
>"One of life's quiet excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself
> and watch yourself softly become the author of something beautiful."
>[Norman Maclean in "A river runs through it."]



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