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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Pseudo-etymology #170006 09/14/2007 11:36 PM Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,526 Virginia, USA TheFallibleFiend veteran TheFallibleFiend veteran Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,526 Virginia, USA Note: M-W says 'pseudo' is from Late Latin. Every other source I've seen says it's Greek. Seems like an obvious mistake, but I suppose it's possible that Greek was it might have come to us from through some circuitous route. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Pseudo-etymology TheFallibleFiend #170007 09/15/2007 12:23 AM Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh It's Greek. You don't get ps word initially in Latin. It may have come through Latin as many a word did. There's a play by Plautus called Pseudolus. The title character is a smart slave. This is the basis for the Zero Mostel character in the movie of the Sondheim musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. I have a dictionary of Late Latin; I'll take a look-see. Ceci n'est pas un seing. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Pseudo-etymology TheFallibleFiend #170008 09/15/2007 12:28 AM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass ?? pseudo- [ME, fr. LL, fr. Gk, fr. pseudes, fr. pseudesthai to lie] [MWCD-10] Cf. post-classical Latin pseudo- [OED2] Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Pseudo-etymology zmjezhd #170009 09/15/2007 12:55 AM Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh OK, I've look it up in Alexander Souter's A Glossary of Later Latin to 600 AD. There's about 1 1/3 columns of words beginnig in pseudo-, e.g., pseudoapostolus 'false apostle' to pseudothyrum 'false (secret) door'. Name that keeps cropping up is [Sophronius Eusebius] Hier[onymus] aka Jerome, he of the Vulgate. So, it became a kind of prefix with the Church Fathers. Ceci n'est pas un seing. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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