Episódios
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The internet reads for this creature; a duck billed, beaver tailed, otter footed, egg laying, aquatic creature native to Australia. Then, what is it doing bearing a Greek name? Before the Natural History Museum in London became the great institution it is today, it was part of the British Museum and its keeper, George Shaw, was the first to describe and accept this creature as a real animal, in 1799. He named it based on the look of its feet but that name was already taken by a beetle, so, in 1803 Johann Friedrich, Blumenbach, publish another description and named it 'Ornithorinchus Paradoxus' ,which is also Greek and means 'Paradoxical bird-snout. I think we'd all agree that, that's too long to remember let alone ,say. And that's why we call it what George Shaw named it. Πλατύς (platys) in ancient and modern Greek means 'wide' and πούς (pous), in ancient Greek, means 'foot. ΠΛΑΤΥΠΟΥΣ/PLATYPUSTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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From Greek Mythology to Euripides's Greek Drama 'The Bacchae' to Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Neil Gaiman's 'The Sandman' , those Nymphs were responsible for drinking, dancing, eating raw meat, being strong enough to pull trees from the ground with, just, their hands and killing anyone who'd refuse their mating call. They followed and worshiped Dionysus from Greece to India and back and they were in the hundreds! Their name Μαινάδες (Maenads) means 'obsessively passionate to the point of rage' and comes from the infinitive Μένεσθαι (menesthe). Their frantic state is a word that from Greek to Latin to French to English late in the 14th century, has stayed the same. ΜΑΝΙΑ/MANIATwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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Εν (en) in Greek is a preposition meaning 'with' 'within' . Εργο (ergo) means 'action'. The translation into Latin show some bumps along the way caused by many back and forths because of a misunderstanding on one of Aristotle's works. He used the combined word, meaning 'at work' as 'powering up' so although in modern Greek the adjective 'ενεργός' (energos) means 'active', 'at work', the noun has two meanings 'action' and ΕΝΕΡΓΕΙΑ/ENERGYTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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Greek Mathematicians were the first to use this word until Plato came along and used it to describe different realities and bigger ideas. Ανά (ana) is a preposition meaning -among other things- 'upon'. Λόγος (logos) means 'speech', 'thought', 'reason' and 'ratio' . The combined word means 'according to ratio' and is used for literal or metaphorical proportions. ΑΝΑΛΟΓΙΑ/ANALOGYTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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Plato wrote 'Our salvation depends on the correct choice between pleasure and sadness, that is the choice between more, or less.' The ancient Greek verb Αιρώ (aero) has been completely claimed by Christianity and turned on its head with regards to the original meaning and perception of the word. In 380 AD, the Roman emperor Theodosius the 1st , legally tied the word to anyone not Christian (at the time the division between the Catholic and the Orthodox church didn't exist. In fact, Theodosius was the last emperor before the split.) So he drafted 'The Edict Of Thessalonica' which he fought tooth and nail throughout his life trying to enforce in the empire . And he succeeded. The original word means 'the right to choose/the right to a different belief' and it was commonly used up until that point. 'We order the followers of this law to embrace the name of Catholic Christians; but as for the others, since, in our judgment they are foolish madmen, we decree that they shall be branded with the ignominious name of heretics...' The word was written down and passed on in all religious texts and that's how it arrived in England . The word also became a crime in 1401 and was decriminalised in 1677 putting a stop to the punishment which was death by burning at the stake and giving people back the freedom to choose (well, sort of) ΑΙΡΕΣΗ/HERESYTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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In ancient Greek mythology there are three women (sometimes more) , daughters of Zeus (sometimes of the Sun or of Dionysus) that are responsible for organising all the feasts in Mount Olympus and making sure that everything is beautiful, joyous, healthy and sexy. No, they're not the Muses although, they were all good friends. They are Aphrodite's followers and they are The Graces! Χάριτες (Charites) in Greek. Their names Αγλαϊα (Aglaea-Radiance), Ευφροσύνη(Evfrosini-Joy) and Θάλεια (Thalia-Boom). They were worshiped all around Greece but they had their own temple in the mainland where three rocks fell from the sky (yes ,rocks) and were worshiped until people carved and made statues of them. There was a big art festival dedicated to them and archaeologists have discovered plaques with names of musicians and poets and artists that have won the competition. Although their English name is The Graces, their touch to a human's life has the same name as an offering from the gods in Greek. It's a ΧΑΡΙΣΜΑ/CHARISMATwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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I have a three combo word for you today, yup, that's as Greek as it gets! And it seems to have been distorted a little in English in order to single out personality traits but: Ιδιος (idios) in ancient Greek meant 'one's own', we could say 'one's self' but... mmm... ok let's go with that! Συν (sin) means 'with' and κράση (krasi) means 'a mixture' . So the combination of all the things that make someone themselves. From your personality, to your mannerisms, to the way you carry yourself. That singular combination and not one personality trait, that makes you, you is your ΙΔΙΟΣΥΓΚΡΑΣΙΑ/IDIOSYNCRASYTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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Τύπτω (tipto) in ancient Greek means 'I strike', 'hit' or 'dent' something. In Latin it was 'typus' and meant 'symbol' or 'an emblem'. Around 1713 it moved to meaning 'printed on metal or wood'. Στερεό (stereo) means 'solid' and the combined word in 1804 meant a printing plate, an additional meaning in 1819 was 'to fix something firmly' and lastly in 1953 the word got the meaning we still use today ΣΤΕΡΕΟΤΥΠΟ/ STEREOTYPETwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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My first job, shortly after I arrived in England, was a stage adaptation of 'Middlemarch', an epic story by George Eliot. The pen name of Mary Ann Evans. As time went by ,I realised that the name I was known for in Greece and had been working for years was too difficult for anyone in this industry to remember so, I decided to keep my first name but officially shorten my surname. In fact if you go to my IMDb you'll see three different versions of my name all of which are versions of my real name. Ψευδές (psevdes) means 'False' and όνομα (onoma) means 'name' . The combined word came to England from France in 1828 and was spelled in Latin characters. It is used only for when a person changes their name for a specific purpose , a pen name or a stage one. ΨΕΥΔΟΝΥΜΟ/PSEUDONYMTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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The history of this word goes back to those considered to be the first European civilisation. There is truth and there is myth connected to the Minoans. A name we know was given to them by the Greeks but have no evidence that, that's what they called themselves. Archaeological discoveries place them in Crete and their first ruler, according to the Greeks, was King Minos (his story and myth are for another episode). The symbol mostly found in the unearthing of this ancient civilisation is a double axe known as Λάβρυς (Lavris/Labris). Ancient Greek historians would write about the main palace in ancient Κνωσσός (Knossos) The capital city of ancient Crete, as 'The House of Λάβρυς' and surprisingly it's not shaped as a double axe but a ΛΑΒΥΡΙΝΘΟΣ/LABYRINTHTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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In 3rd century BC there was a biographer of philosophers and author of the history of philosophy, Διογένης Λαέρτιος( Diogenes Laertios) . In his 7th book (out of 10) he begins with a reference to Pythagoras's beliefs on how one should lead their life, one of them being , and I quote: Drunkenness, he considers to be a damage and he disapproves any kind of exaggeration, he says we should have συμμετρία and not overdo it with drinking and eating.
Συν (syn), among other things, means 'with'. Μέτρο (metro) means 'measure' . Whether it's used to describe moderation, proportions or compare measurements, the word has made it through centuries and keeps on going! ΣΥΜΜΕΤΡΙΑ/SYMMETRYTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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Τάσσω (tasso) in an Ancient Greek verb and it means 'I put things in order' . Something that was studied in Ancient Greece was the technique of how to put things in order, how to strategize and make smart decisions to achieve your goal (I know I'm summarising here but this is a bite-size podcast after all) . That technique was called Τακτική τέχνη (taktiki techne) and the word came to English in the 17th century , quite late if you think about how many successful strategists England had before that. ΤΑΚΤΙΚΗ/TACTICTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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This sweet word is a combination of Ancient Greek and late Latin. It came into English in the 14th century from the French (of course) who took both both languages, applied the term to baking and quite possibly perfected the flavour. Χρίσμα (chrisma) in Greek means 'unguent' The Latin called it 'cramum' and the French 'crème'. ΧΡΙΣΜΑ/CREAMTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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Today's word has a small journey as it's very straight forward. It has also been reduced to a single meaning in Greek. Αυτό (auto) is short for Εαυτό and it means 'self' . Κράτος (kratos) means 'state' . In Ancient Greece and Rome, the combined word meant , any system of government that was absolute and it included Monarchy, dictatorship and a whole empire. The word came to English through the usual route, Latin and old French and what I find interesting is which political system has been attached to most, today. In modern English it's used to describe a single ruler an 'autocrat' while in modern Greek it means 'an Empire'. ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΙΑ/AUTOCRACYTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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There are two versions of this myth and I chose the one places ancient Turkey and Ancient Greece geologically closer than they are today. The Greek God Ασωπός (Asopos), son of Poseidon, gave his name to a river that ran through central Greece and sprang from another river in Asia Minor. The river Μαίανδρος (Meandros). That river had so many twists and turns that its name is used to describe a very winding flow or way of travel. In modern Greek, the word is used described that little winding pattern you see in ancient greek merchandise. The word originally came into English from Latin around 1590 and was kept as a description of river flows until 1630 when it started being used metaphorically. The original river, now located in Turkey, is called Menderes and drains into the Aegean. ΜΑΙΑΝΔΡΟΣ/MEANDERTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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This word came to us from medicine and the metaphorical meaning is what we use today. Χεκτικός (Hektikos), in ancient Greek meant 'continuous'. It was linked to fevers and was a monitoring sign for certain diseases. In English it was used specifically for fever that not only wouldn't stop but go up and down during the course of a day, exhausting the patient. The word came from late Latin 'Hecticus' and nowadays describes a continuously , fast-paced life. ΧΕΚΤΙΚΟΣ/HECTICTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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Oenanthe Crocata, is a flower with a very sweet taste that grows near lakes in Sardinia. It's also known as 'Sardonion'. Eating it, will cause a state of drunkenness accompanied by laughter, paralyse your jaw, make your face muscles contract as if you're smiling and eventually, kill you. In Greek, it's called 'wine flower' because of its sweetness. Homer used its effects metaphorically to describe Odysseus's laughter and that's how it came to us today. A laughter or a smile that is not kind at all. ΣΑΡΔΟΝΙΟ/SARDONICTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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Today's word is so much older than the Valentine celebration and I have to admit I thought it would make a good joke. Δάκτυλος (Daktilos) in ancient Greek and Δάχτυλο (Dahtilo) in modern means, 'finger'. There's a plant that started, probably, in Mesopotamia in 4000BC that both its leaves and fruit resemble a human finger and that's how it got its name. 'Dactylus' in Latin, 'Datil' in old French and from the 1300 onwards in England ΔΑΧΤΥΛΟ/DATETwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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Φήμη (feme) was one of Gaia's daughters and sister to Hope, among others. She was responsible for spreading the news of both Godly and Human achievements but if you fell short on her liking then, you could expect all kinds of gossip linked to your name. The Greeks had a temple dedicated to her in the ancient agora in Athens, next to the temple of Pudency. She's usually depicted holding a laurel and a trumpet. In Roman mythology she's called Fama and that's how the word came to English in the 14th century. ΦΗΜΗ/FAMETwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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Πόλις (polis) in both ancient and modern Greek means the 'City' . This is a root word for many more that we'll have a chance to explore in the future. Plato wrote Πολιτεία (politia) around 380BC which was a fictional discussion between the philosophers of the time on what a Just society is, the educational system, the debate between Philosophy and Poetry and many more. It was split in ten books based on subject. The Latin translation is Res Rublica which means, 'the state of public affairs' and was translated as such to be understood by people living during the Roman Democracy. To put it simply, a set of rules made to govern a city. ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΗ/POLICYTwitter @yourgreeksunday ,
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