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#122465 02/09/04 09:39 PM
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Can anyone tell me how "pupil" came to mean aperture of iris of eye, and a child attending school? The roots are t;he same.


Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Definition: \Pu"pil\, n. [F. pupille, n. fem., L. pupilla the pupil of
the eye, originally dim. of pupa a girl. See {Puppet}, and
cf. {Pupil} a scholar.] (Anat.)
The aperture in the iris; the sight, apple, or black of the
eye. See the Note under {Eye}, and {Iris}.

{Pin-hole pupil} (Med.), the pupil of the eye when so
contracted (as it sometimes is in typhus, or opium
poisoning) as to resemble a pin hole. --Dunglison.


\Pu"pil\, n. [F. pupille, n. masc. & fem., L. pupillus,
pupilla, dim. of pupus boy, pupa girl. See {Puppet}, and cf.
{Pupil} of the eye.]
1. A youth or scholar of either sex under the care of an
instructor or tutor.

Too far in years to be a pupil now. --Shak.

Tutors should behave reverently before their pupils.
--L'Estrange.

2. A person under a guardian; a ward. --Dryden.

3. (Civil Law) A boy or a girl under the age of puberty, that
is, under fourteen if a male, and under twelve if a
female.

Syn: Learner; disciple; tyro. -- See {Scholar}.







#122466 02/13/04 01:07 PM
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I have vague memories stirring of it being something to do with being able to see a tiny reflection of oneself in the pupil of somebody else's eye

Bingley


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#122467 02/14/04 03:13 AM
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From Origins A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English:

pupil pupa has dim pupillus (m), pupilla (f), which in L Law, came to designate a child, esp an orphan child, in the charge of a guardian or of a tutor, whence the sense "young scholar": whence MF-F pupille, orig in the L legal sense: whence E pupil. The L derivative adj pupillaris yeilds pupillary. L pupilla also denoted the pupil of the eye, "so named because of the tiny image reflected there" (E & M)


#122468 02/19/04 03:54 PM
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Here's one for Ron... :)

pupilability

nonce-wd.


? Pupillary nature.
In quot. with punning allusion to the pupils of the eyes.

1761 Sterne Tr. Shandy iv. i, What can he mean by the lambent pupilability of slow, low, dry chat, five notes below the natural tone+unless+the voice+forces the eyes to approach not only within six inches of each other—but to look into the pupils?

OED2



#122469 02/19/04 07:22 PM
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pupilabilty -

Came across a Couric creation - trepidacious. Used in an interview with Hilary Clinton yesterday. Surely this form doesnt exist, does it? Or *does it in some archaic form


#122470 02/19/04 08:05 PM
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But, but, trepid just looks so, I dunno, incomplete.


#122471 02/19/04 08:47 PM
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Trepidacious is a mis-spelling. Trepidatious would be close to etymology. Not in M-W dictionary.
Here's closest word:
Main Entry: trep·i·da·tion
Pronunciation: "tre-p&-'dA-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin trepidation-, trepidatio, from trepidare to tremble, from trepidus agitated; probably akin to Old English thrafian to urge, push, Greek trapein to press grapes
1 archaic : a tremulous motion : TREMOR
2 : timorous uncertain agitation : APPREHENSION
synonym see FEAR


#122472 02/19/04 08:52 PM
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The onliest dictionary onelook shows having trepidacious (the spelling suggested if you enter 'trepidatious') is:

TaDa!!

Worthless Word For The Day

which offers

'trepidacious
(overwrought word for) trepid'



#122473 02/19/04 09:33 PM
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yeah, this is one of the words suggested to me by the current webmaster at OneLook® as being woefully in need of coverage, because of all the (mis)hits they were getting for it. also see confusticate..

here's what I sent out at the time:
the worthless word for the day is: trepidacious

fearful; agitated; trembling: trepid

this neologism has yet to be recognized by
lexicographers; in fact it is on the Vocabula
Review's Worst Words list -- but it gets a few
hundred Google® hits, and lots of folks attempt to
look it up at OneLook®. [actually, trepidatious does get more googlets]

I'd say, if you need something that means not intrepid,
and can't bear fearful, why not go back to the root?
trepid is a far better choice in many ways.


#122474 02/19/04 10:39 PM
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So trepidation is backformed from winemaking? =/ I'da never guessed.


#122475 02/19/04 11:36 PM
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trepid is a far better choice in many ways.

Yeahbut®, it just doesn't seem to have the oomph it needs. It just lies there with no guts, no condemnation of its referent. Trepida(t/c)ious has a quiver to it that supports its connotation.


#122476 02/19/04 11:42 PM
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Dear Fiberbabe: , Greek trapein to press grapes. I remember reading that they had barefoot virgins trample the grapes.
I wonder how they maintained the supply of qualified tramplers. And foot hygiene of same.


#122477 02/20/04 02:02 PM
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Is the foot hygeine the context for morphing to fear? Eek.

On a barely related note, I've always thought the Dodge Intrepid should be a big guzzly SUV instead of a passenger sedan. How fearless can a sedan really be?


#122478 02/24/04 11:38 PM
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"How fearless can a sedan really be?"
OOh, yes. Or a James Bond type sports car
.........................seat!
- with an ejector


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