vocab ch. 3 ORIGINS // english 10

chimerical

chimerical

Chimera was a fire-breathing monster known amongst Greek mythology. Causing great destruction to the land, the hero Bellerophon and his Pegasus came to the rescue by shooting Chimera with arrows. Eventually an arrow was shot straight down Chimera’s throat, fatally burning her vital organs. Today, her name lives on to refer to any plan or scheme as wildly fantastic and unrealistic as herself.

asinine

Donkeys, asinus in Latin, have the reputation for being stubborn and stupid, and through this, the word asinine emerged.

bellwether

“Bellwether” is an old English word referring to a castrated male sheep that would lead the other sheep with a bell around its neck. Since people similarly flock around a leader, a person in a leading position is known as a bellwether.

limbo

In the history of Christian beliefs, the souls of unbaptized infants who have not sinned and of holy people who died went to a place called limbo. Limbo is a region that borders hell, but without hell’s agonizing punishments. Today, people use limbo unaware of its religious origins. It is modernly used when referring to states of neglect and transition in our everyday life.

plagiarize

Plagiarus was the name Ancient Romans called sea raiders or plunderers because these raiders would steal things and people using nets. Often taking children as slaves, plagiarus came to mean “kidnapper.” Today, when we pass someone else’s work off as our own by plagiarizing, we are stealing that person’s thought and original ideas.

titanic

In Greek mythology, Titans, giants with incredible strength, once ruled over the universe. After stealing fire from Zeus, Prometheus, a Titan, was chained to a rock and sent an eagle every day to feast upon his liver. His liver would grow back every night for centuries as this torture endured, until, ultimately, he was freed by Hercules.

irony

The Greek word eiron was a traditional character in ancient Greek drama who used his tricks (eironeia) to fake ignorance and outwit his bragging opponent.

effete

The ancient Romans used the word effetus to describe the wearying process of childbirth. Effetus came to mean “worn out by bearing,” “exhausted.” The Latin word entered English as “effete,” and was used to describe livestock worn-out by offspring. Now, effete has extended its meaning to become a general term for exhausted and lacking energy.

hyperbole

Deriving from the Greek meaning “exaggeration", hyperbole referred to how one overstates or throws words excessively.

diabolic

The Greek translation of the Hebrew satan, diabolos likely conveyed the idea of the devil throwing lies across the path of his victims.