Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 10 1 2 3 4 9 10
#9281 10/31/00 07:58 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Well, not knowing latin, i am a just guessing, but we (at least the North American we) use road to not only mean the macadam, but the process of getting there (The Road to Rio, Morocco, or any of the other Road movies of the 40's) and bouncing around the tips of my fingers, Charles Karault's (sp?) "On the Road.."

So might not Via have more than one meaning? could not via also mean the process of getting there... of being on the road? or is this just a good intentioned post on the road to hell?


#9282 10/31/00 08:10 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
M
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
M
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
I am not sure whether this belongs here, or in the mangled maths thread, but "quantum" seems to be a Latin word that has both moved beyond its original Latin meaning, and gets seriously mangled in everyday use. Given that its accepted definition in physics is something like:
"1.The smallest amount of a physical quantity that can exist independently, especially a discrete quantity of electromagnetic radiation.
2. This amount of energy regarded as a unit. "

I am always amused when I hear of a quantum leap being made in some field of human endeavour

Even in a more general definition:
"1.A quantity or an amount.
2. A specified portion.
3. Something that can be counted or measured."

it appears to fit the description of a purely Latin word (one that would be recognised as such by a native Latin speaker) which has moved beyond its Latin meaning.



#9283 10/31/00 08:12 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,004
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,004
Helen

I suspect you and I are saying much the same thing. But we will need to wait for our resident Latinists to see whether or not our interpetation of the extended meaning of 'via' is correct...

cheer

the sunshine warrior


#9284 10/31/00 08:51 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
F
veteran
Offline
veteran
F
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
Centurion, certainly.
>is this word used at all except in a historical context?


I've heard it used for a job role, of all things - the idea being that it represented somebody who was responsible for 100 people. Naturally these centurions were never ever responsible for exactly 100 people (and, of course, an original centurion was one of 100 anyway).

However, that's the only occasion I've heard the word used outside a Roman context. Other than on Battlestar Galactica





#9285 10/31/00 09:04 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
F
veteran
Offline
veteran
F
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
I am always amused when I hear of a quantum leap being made in some field of human endeavour

Ah. Max, but but but -
Isn't "quantum" as it is (probably mis-)used now all about the discrete aspect rather than the smallest possible aspect?

i.e. a quantum leap represents when something or someone jumps from one discrete state to another, or makes a significant transition.

"Never mind the quality, feel the width" !


You're almost definitely correct about the extended meaning, though.



#9286 10/31/00 09:18 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
F
veteran
Offline
veteran
F
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
'decimate'

Damn (sorry, Dagnabbit) I was going to pick that one! And I could have got away with YARTing a bit better, perhaps.
What's striking is that this is a very clear abuse of the original meaning, which was very exact. In fact, so exact as to make the word pretty much useless for modern purposes.

Oh go on then, tsuwm - give us a reference to the original!
As follows:
<url>wordsmith.org/Board=???&Number=???</url>
replacing <with [,>with ] and ??? with appropriate Board name and Post Number.

Yes, OK, I'll get detailed instructions together.... very soon now..




#9287 10/31/00 09:24 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
M
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
M
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
In reply to:


Ah. Max, but but but -
Isn't "quantum" as it is (probably mis-)used now all about the discrete aspect rather than the smallest possible aspect?

i.e. a quantum leap represents when something or someone jumps from one discrete state to another, or makes a significant transition.

"Never mind the quality, feel the width" !


You are probably right - I suppose I was guilty of hawking my view without a planck to stand on. Despite my uncertainty, as a matter of principle, I still feel that I was relatively correct, as the implication in media usage seems to be not merely "discrete" but "large". From this observer's standpoint the word "quantum" appears to shifted, at least in common usage, from "discrete, and , most often, very small" to "discrete, and huge" - a shift of many, many, many orders of magnitude, that has really let the cat out of the box.


#9288 10/31/00 09:44 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
J
jmh Offline
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
J
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981

#9289 10/31/00 09:51 PM
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
tsuwm Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
jo, thanks for the link; unfortunately (a) it's the long form [drat] and (b) it's one of those threads that warps off into oblivion [double-darn-drat]...


#9290 11/01/00 12:16 AM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
F
veteran
Offline
veteran
F
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
Max, my hat is totally, completely and utterly doffed!

Awesome!!!







Page 2 of 10 1 2 3 4 9 10

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,271
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 397 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,502
LukeJavan8 9,915
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5