Ch4 Vocab P.2

Who was Odysseus?

A prominent soldier who fought with the Greeks in the war against Troy to regain Helen.

How did the Greeks win the Trojan War?

Built a giant horse that the best soldiers hid in --> when the Trojans assumed it was a offering to the gods and the Greeks had retreated, they let the horse into their city and at night the Greeks jumped out and slaughtered the Trojans.

How long did it take Odysseus to get home?

Ten years

What happened with Odysseus and the CYCLOPS?

1. Odysseus and his men were trapped in the Cyclops' cave
2. The cyclops devoured two of his men and tore their limbs
3. Odysseus got the cyclops drunk and told him his name is "Noman" then gouged out the cyclops' eye while he slept
4. When the morning came and the cyclops removed the boulder to let out the sheep, he felt the tops but not the bottom of the animals so the men were able to hold onto the rams' undersides and escape

What did the cyclops say when he realized he'd been tricked?

"Noman is killing me"

Who was Menelaus?

A Greek king and husband of Helen who wandered for eight years following the defeat of Troy

What did Proteus' daughter tell Menelaus when she saw him?

She helped him return to his native land, and explained that he must force her father into revealing how to get favorable winds that would drive his ship to Greece --> Menelaus simply had to hold fast to Proteus until he ceased struggling to get free and started answering his questions

What did Proteus transform into when being seized by Menelaus?

lion, serpent, panther, boar, stream,tree

What is the Italian word for "flask" or "bottle"?

fiasco

What is the connection between "flask" and "failure"?

Italian glassmakers would turn flawed glass into bottles, so the sense of imperfection or failure was associated with the term fiasco. Another theory is that a fiasco had a long neck and rounded base, so it could not stand without its base woven with reeds or straw --> connecting flask to flop

What does idio mean?

Greek word meaning "private," "peculiar," "one's own"

What is an idiote?

Someone who did not hold public office/a private person --> Romans thought the reason an idiota did not hold office was bc they lacked intelligence

What does idio + syn + crasis mean (to make idiosyncrasy)?

Idio (peculiar) + syn (together) + crasis (mixture)

What are the four elements and what is the Greeks' fifth element?

air, fire, water, earth, fifth element: lighter and subtler element which pervaded universe/made heaven --> the quinta essentia or fifth essence

Why does quintessence mean "the finest" or the "perfect representation"?

because the "fifth essence" was the highest and most essential

What Greek words does the origin of rankle trace back to?

the word for "eye" (drakos) --> the Greek word for dragon (drakon) since dragons had fiery eyes

What did Latin change the word "drakon" to?

drakon --> draco --> drancunculus ("little dragon"), which meant "ulcer" because a sore felt like one was being devoured by little dragons --> entered English as rankle, to describe irritation

What is the Latin word for ten?

decem

Why was ten a devastating number?

Romans punished rebellious soldiers by killing every tenth man or punished enemies by killing every tenth captured soldier

What was the Latin word for that punishment?

decimare, from which decimate is derived to refer to widespread destruction and slaughter

Who was Narcissus?

An extremely handsome youth that attracted the attention of females, but wanted nothing to do with them

What was the curse placed on Narcissus?

After refusing to return the affection of a nymph named Echo, who could only repeat what others said, Echo wasted away and Narcissus was cursed to become enraptured with his reflection --> he stared at himself in a pool for so long he refused to eat and wasted away

What flower was left in his place?

The narcissus flower

What are succumb and incumbent derived from?

the Latin word "cumbere" which means "to occupy"

What does "incubus" mean?

Derived from Latin in (in, upon) and cubare (to lie down) --> medieval demon who lay with sleeping women and impregnated them

What does "succubus" mean?

The female counterpart of the demon, which would lay "under" (suc) sleeping men. Monks and nuns were urged not to succumb to an incubus or succubus.

What can an incubus mean in modern day?

a heavy burden that lies upon one/incubus of being responsible for something