Sunday, November 11, 2007

On Doctors 2

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We continue on doctors, in this post. But first, a short diversion.

Cameras, we know, are usually fixed on a tripod stand for shooting pictures or video, so that there is no shaking. And we know that this tripod stand is a three-legged stand.

We also know that a podium is a small platform for the conductor of an orchestra, or for a public speaker to stand on.

You would understand from the above that "pod" is actually a word for "foot" or "leg". So, a doctor who treats foot disorders is a podiatrist.


Podiatrist

He is a person qualified to diagnose and treat foot disorders. He is also called a chiropodist.

Some of us know that there are people who can tell future by reading the lines on your "hand". Many believe it, but some call it a pseudo-science (Btw, pseudo means false). It is widely known as Palmistry. But it is also called Chiromancy.

Chiro is therefore a word related to hand. A Chiropodist was originally was a quack who used to massage a leg, with his hand, and make it better. But now a qualified foot-doctor is called a Chiropodist or a Podiatrist.

If one uses hands on your back when you are lying down and massages and manipulates the spinal chord, he can be called the Chiropractor.

Chiropractor

He is one whose occupation is the practice of chiropractic

Chiropractic is a system of therapy in which disease is considered the result of abnormal function of the nervous system. The method of treatment usually involves manipulation of the spinal column and other body structures.

Some chiropractors help in sports when a person needs immediate attention to his spine or musculoskeletal system. Chiropractors cannot, and do not, prescribe medicines but only give drug-free alternative treatments.

Closely related to this is an Osteopath.


Osteopath

Osteo is related to 'bone', and osteopaths generally treat the bone structure but without medicine or surgery.

An Osteopath is considered a fully licensed physician in some countries but is not accepted as one in some countries. In the U.S., osteopaths are trained at osteopathic medical schools. They are fully licensed physicians, with the same practice rights as physicians who carry an M. D. degree.

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Osteopathy diagnoses and treats pain, stiffness and dysfunction in the body. Osteopaths use manual techniques including massage and other muscle tension techniques, manipulation of joints, and cranial techniques. Exercises including core stability work may be given, as well as postural advice. Trigger point acupuncture may also be used.

Physiotherapy is the diagnosis and management of disorders of human movement. Therapists continue to evolve treatment, based on up to date clinical evidence and incorporate health education, rehabilitation, exercise therapy, mobilization, manipulation & dry needling on trigger points.

The Osteopaths and Physiotherapists work closely together and will often inter-refer if they feel it would be appropriate. They sometimes assess difficult cases together
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An Extra Bit

Apple's iPod is not related to the words above. The name iPod was proposed by Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter, who (with others) was called by Apple to figure out how to introduce the new player to the public.

After Chieco saw a prototype, he thought of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and the phrase "Open the pod bay door, Hal!", which refers to the white EVA Pods of the Discovery One spaceship.

Apple researched the trademark and found that it was already in use. One, Joseph N. Grasso of New Jersey had originally listed an "ipod" trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in July 2000 for Internet kiosks. The first ipod kiosks had been demonstrated to the public in New Jersey in March 1998, and commercial use began in January 2000. The trademark was registered by the USPTO in November 2003, and Grasso assigned it to Apple Computer, Inc. in 2005.

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Sunday, November 4, 2007

On Doctors 1

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I wish to cordially invite you to read this post when you are free. Don't allow obstructions, and eliminate all disturbances from the periphery.


Cardio - Heart


Cardiology, therefore, is study of the heart and its functions in health and disease. A doctor who deals with it is a Cardiologist.


Also, we call a heart-warming meeting as a cordial meeting. I wanted to give you a heartfelt invitation, which is why I began by saying "I 'cordially' invite you...."


If a heart stops suddenly, its a cardiac arrest. In fact even courage is also a derivative from Latin coraticum (heart) and from the later french word, Corage.


Gyn - woman

Pronounced 'Gyne' [as in wine], it means woman. So, a doctor who deals with women's ailments is a Gynecologist.


And since Childbirth belongs to the woman's domain, you would go to a Gynecologist for a check up if you are pregnant. [Ofcourse, I am addressing women, in this line! Not men!] However, the specialized doctor who actually delivers babies is an Obstetrician.



obstetricus - pertaining to a midwife


Midwife, we know, is the lady who stands opposite and helps a woman giving birth. 'Obstare' means to 'stand opposite to'. Infact the word 'Obstacle' came from this word. An obstacle is also something that 'obstructs' or hinders.


So, Obstetrics is the branch of medical science concerned with childbirth and caring for and treating women in or in connection with childbirth. And doctor who delivers babies is an Obstetrician.



dent/odontos - tooth

&

ortho - straight, correct


An Orthodontist straightens teeth. So, if one has big teeth or twisted teeth, and needs braces, or correction, its the orthodontist one must approach.


A dentist practices treating people with tooth problems, but odontologist studies.


Odontology is the scientific study of the teeth. And an Odontogolist is the one who studies teeth. Odontology is often used by forensic scientists to identify a victim by his or her teeth. Being that teeth are unique to specific person and often out last the body they can be considered individual evidence as well as class evidence.


peri - around


The border of a square/rectangle is called a perimeter. So, a Periodontist is a specialist in treating the sorroundings of the teeth. Which means gums. He is a dentist specializing in diseases of the gums and other structure surrounding the teeth.


A computer peripheral is a unit in the sorroundings of the computer - such as a printer, scanner or a webcam.



An Extra Bit


In Greek, Algos mean pain. So, in english, any word that ends with algia usually means pain.


  • odontalgia (tooth pain or tooth ache)

  • arthralgia (joint pain),

  • cephalgia (headache),

  • fibromyalgia, mastalgia (breast pain),

  • myalgia (muscle pain),

  • neuralgia (nerve pain).
    and

  • Nostalgia is the pain of returning to the memories of the past (nostos means to return home)!!

Now, you would know the origins of the italicized words below.

I wish to cordially invite you to read this post when you are free. Don't allow obstructions, and eliminate disturbances from the periphery.


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Sunday, September 23, 2007

On Leaders

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'Agog' is a leader in Latin.

Can you add this word to the other latin words below, and guess the newly-formed english words???

- Ped (child)
- Demo (people)
- syn, sym ( together, same time).

As we saw earlier, most english words are derivatives from Greek or Latin words, and sometimes even French and other European languages. English is a language that evolved much later than some other European ones, and it readily adapted into itself several foreign words. Therfore, we must look at these foreign root-words, if we wish to become amateur etymologists.

Now if you have done the small exercise I gave, by now, you would have made up the following words : Pedagogue, Demogogue and Synagogue.


Pedagogue

Ped is a child and Agog is a leader. So, a Pedagogue is a teacher of children. The word Ped (Child) has given us other words in english like ,

  • Pediatrics - the branch of medicine concered with children
  • Pediatrician - a doctor for children,
  • Pedagogy - teaching methodology
  • Pedantic - overly concerned with details in teaching.
  • Pedophile - (negative) an adult sexually attracted to children

I know, I know, some of you will accuse me of being very pedantic in my approach towards this blog. But I can't help it, I am a pedagogue! :D

Demagogue

Demo is people, and Agog is a leader. So, a Demogogue is a leader of people. But this word is not used in a positive sense. A demagogue is usually a leader who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people. Hitler, for instance, was a demagogue known for his oratorial skills in arousing peoples passions.

Related to demo (people) are the following words in english,

  • Democracy - people's rule
  • Demography - information (or statistics) on people
    (such as population, density, gender or income distribution, birth-rates, death rates etc.)
  • Epidemic - disease affecting many people and spreading.
  • Pandemic - general, universal, or actually an epidemic disease affecting all people. (common people/public)

Acceptable usage could be sentences like "In the late 1980s there was a pandemic fear of atomic war." Or that "the outbreak of the epidemic caused hundreds to die."

Synagogue



"syn, sym = together, same time". So, the coming together of leaders in one place was originally called synagogue. Now, it is a Jewish place of worship where the religious leaders teach.








'Syn' and 'sym' have given English many such words like the following.

  • symmetry - alike in size and form; balance; proportion,
  • symphony - (same sounds) Harmony of sounds.
  • synchronicity - the being of events/actions at the same time;
    (Eg : Synchronized swimming by two female swimmers was beautiful to watch in Olympics because of the symmetry displayed.)
  • synchronize - to make two into the same.
  • synonym - (same names), exact meanings. Eg : Aircraft is a synonym for aeroplane.


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Who is the Top Gun?

On Leaders, the other words that are mostly informal or slang are : head honcho, big wig, big wheel, skipper, kingpin, big gun, top gun, top dog, big kahuna, big cheese.

But these are not meant for formal use, and must be avoided. Unless, you know the person very well... and wish to use it in good humour.

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Thursday, September 6, 2007

On Governments

...

Let's observe the foreign root-words below and their meanings.

  1. arkhein - to rule (--archy)
  2. mono - single; one
  3. oli - few
  4. ana - against
  5. kratein - to rule or to govern (--cracy)
  6. demos - people
  7. ploutos - wealth
  8. Theo - God
  9. auto - self

Now, as you read the following you will know the relationship between the words. And how smaller words above can make up the big words highlighted below



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Monarchy is a government rule where the supreme power or sovereignty is held by a single person. It is a state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch. Monarch is therefore, a nation's ruler or a head of state usually by hereditary ; a king, queen, emperor, or empress.



(a) In some traditional monarchies, the monarch has absolute power.
(b) In a constitutional monarchy, like the UK, it also has a democratic government that limits the monarch's control.




Oligarchy is a form of government in which all power is vested in a "few" persons or in a dominant class ; government by the few.


Anarchy is a situation where there is "no government". This can happen after a civil war in a country, when a government has been destroyed and rival groups are fighting to take its place.



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In Democracy, the government is elected by the "people" and is of the people. Everyone who is eligible to vote has a chance to have their say over who runs the country.


Plutocracy is a situation whre a few "wealthy" families rule the state.


Theocracy is a government where definition-wise "God" governs the country, but in effect its the religious leaders or priests who run. So, a government where the rule is by religious heads is called Theocracy.


Autocracy is another word for self-rule or democracy. You can call a leader as autocratic if he gives a lot of freedom to each follower to manage himself/herself.





Note : The opposite of Autocracy is Dictatorial goverment where the power is with the Dictator who governs without giving freedom for individuals. Self governance is impossible in a land ruled by a Dictator.















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Did you know about the Monarch Butterfly ???

Its the name of a large migratory American butterfly having deep orange wings with black and white markings; the larvae feed on milkweed.

Very Interstingly, these Monarch Butterlies migrate from Mexico to Canada every year!!!!

Monday, July 23, 2007

On Relationships

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In the previous blog, we came across the following root-words for different people in the family. Lets look at them a little more closely.


...


Patris - Father
Matri - Mother
Frater- Brother
Soror - Sister
Uxor- Wife




...


Based on the above, we can understand the reason for the words down below. You will see why some words we come across in english language are what they are.


On father (Patris)

Patron - Father; the one like a father
Paternal - fatherly; of the father
Paternity - related to fatherhood
Patricide - killing one's father


On mother (matron)

Matron - mother; the one like a mother; a mature married woman; a motherly-lady incharge of nurses in a hospital; or a women who is the warden/wardress for female prisoners.
Maternal - motherly; of the mother
Maternity - related to motherhood
Matricide - Killing one's mother

Matrimony : Marraige (getting a mother/lady to run your family)


On sister (soror)

sororal - sisterly
Sorority - sisterhood, a society or a club of women or girls, especially in a college.
Sororicide - killing one's sister


On brother (frater)

Fraternal - brotherly, friendly
Fraternity - brotherhood, an organization of male students, a body of men associated by common interest, a college men's society


On Wife (uxor)

Uxorial - pertaining to wife; wifely
Uxoricide - killing of one's wife
Uxorious - doting upon, foolishly fond of, or affectionately submissive toward one's wife.




An Extra bit on Marraige (Maritus)








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Marital : related to married people
Marital status : Status of whether one is married or not.
Marital bliss : The wonderful joy of being married
Marital ties : The relationships that form due to marraige, like spouses, in-laws etc.
Marital discord - A distubance or disagreement between the married people (husband and wife)
Extra-marital affair : Even-though one is married, his/her association with another person.


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Mariticide - killing of a husband; also used to mean killing of a spouse..






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Monday, July 16, 2007

On Killing

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You may be arrested these days if you attempt suicide.

But you 'will' be arrested if you commit homicide.

But by using Piff-Paff, Raid, or Mortein many people regularly commit pesticide. Luckily there is no law against that. In fact, farmers in many countries are supplied with pesticides so that they can use them to kill those insects (or pests) in their farms.

And we all know that the toothpaste contains germicide, to kill the germs.

So, Now, I'm sure you now know what I am getting at. The major root for all these words is 'cide'. Which means 'to kill'

Sui - self (So, to kill one's self is Suicide)
Homos - a person ( So, to kill a person is Homicide)
Pest - insect (So, to kill an insect is 'pesticide'. Pesticide is also the stuff used to kill pests)
Germ - germ (So, to kill germs is 'germicide'. and Germicide is also the stuff used to kill them)

Now, using cide as a suffix, at the end of the word, you can easily guess what killing the following persons would mean.



Patris - Father

Matron - Mother

Frater- Brother

Soror - Sister

Uxor- Wife

Maritus - Husband

Reg/Rex - King/Royalty

Infant - a baby

genos - a race

(Answers below this passage)

...

Fathers, Mothers and Money

Patron, paternal, paternity, patriarch, patronize, Padre are all related to the root word pater or patris which means father.

Similarly, matron, maternal, maternity, matriarch are derivatives from the root word mater or matris which meant mother.

Please note that Patrimony ( money inherited from the father) is also a combination of patris and money ('money' comes from Roman goddess Juno Moneta who is believed to guard the Temples of Finance).

Alimony (alimo means 'for nourishment' or 'for sustenance'), therefore, means money given for nourishment or sustenance. Usually given to a divorced wife by the former husband until she can nourish or sustain herself.

Matrimony which means marriage, however, has no relation to money but has the meaning of getting a mother to run a family.


An extra bit
..
Parsimony - which means 'stinginess' or 'extreme frugality' or 'miserly' - comes from parsimonia - to spare, and mony of course, from the Roman goddess Moneta.
So, if someone calls you a parsimonious person, he is not complimenting you, but calling you a miser, because you are too careful in spending money.

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Answers:

Patris - Father - Patricide
Matron - Mother - Matricide
Frater- Brother - Fratricide
Soror - Sister - Sororicide
Uxor- Wife - Uxoricide
Maritus - Husband - mariticide
Reg/Rex - King/Royalty - Regicide
Infant - Baby - Infanticide
genos - Race - Genocide


Monday, July 9, 2007

On Life 2

Last time, we spoke about some words that had the root-word ‘life’.

Vita (life) and viva (to live) are Latin roots for some other words used in English.
So, lets look at a few more on the same topic.
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Vital – essential to life; of great importance; very important

Eg: Lungs in our chest perform the vital function of keeping us alive.


Vitality - full of life and energy. Physical or mental vigour or energy.
Eg : We can see from the way the young man has been excitedly working for the last three days that he is brimming with vitality.


Revitalize – to give life again. (re- is a prefix to mean ‘give again’ and vita being ‘ life’, so it is in the same lines as revive, reenergize, redo, reaffirm.

Eg: The students were finding the classes boring. But the teacher revitalized the classes by bringing the test tubes and beakers into the classroom and showing how experiments were conducted.



Devitalize – to take away life. (de – is a prefix to mean ‘to take away.’ Or negative. Or to mean ‘undo.’ Therefore, decompose, defrost, decode are the negatives of compose, frost and code.

Eg: The war has devitalized the economy.



Vitamin – an important element for life; a nutritional element for helping life

Eg: Good eyesight requires us to have Vitamin A which is available from carrots. And strong bones need Vitamin D, that is in sunlight and codliver oil.



French Life

English also uses many French phrases, also related life as viva is 'life' in French too.

Bon vivant – (pronounced BON Vee VONH, with NH as a muted nasal sound) – means
- ‘a good live-er’
- ‘a person who lives a great life’
- ‘a person who lives luxuriously with rich food, good drinks, expensive theatre parties etc'.

Eg: Can’t you see that man’s expensive suit? And that huge limousine out of which he is getting out? With those two beautiful girls holding on to his two elbows? And the door man of the five-star hotel opening the door for him? He seems to be a bon vivant!



Joie de vivre – (pronounced something like Zhwah’ de VEEV, with Zh like ‘s’ in pleasure) – means the ‘joy of living’

Eg: People who possess joie de vivre are never depressed, or moody or bored, but will make everyone happy with their vivacity.



An Extra Bit

vital statistics : It means all the important data - such as a country’s economic growth rate, birthrate, death rate, GDP (Gross domestic Product), Population figures or literacy rate etc.

vital statistics : Now, its also informally used to mean the measurements of a women’s bust, waist and hips.

Often called in its shortform, vital-stats.
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Monday, July 2, 2007

On Life 1

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They are very friendly people. Very easy to get along with. The type of people whom you would like to invite home for dinner or drinks. Especially because they like words and jokes but they also like eating, drinking and having a good time with friends. Which is why they seem so wonderful to be with.

But who are they?

They are a wonderful couple. Very sociable and very affable. A convivial couple.

Now, convivial is the word we are starting with, as we begin our journey of word-building.

Vivo is a Latin word, a verb, that means 'to live together' and vita, its noun form, means ''life'. That is why during the Roman times, people met at a convivium which meant a feast or a banquet. A place where people meet for socializing, eating and drinking and getting to know one another. Place to enjoy life together. Networking of the yore.

(Anyway, you must be wondering, is this the 'Latin' word building or 'English' word building?!

So, I'll get back to English. But not without first telling you that many English words are actually derivatives from Greek or Latin languages. The roots of some words are even in French and some other European languages. Because they existed much before English. So, we'll meet many of these words as we go along).

In English now, therefore, conviviality means 'a jovial nature', or 'a boisterous celebration or partying'. Example : I enjoyed last-night's dinner at my friend's house because it was not boring. It had a convivial atmosphere.

Now, lets look at some words that came out from vivo and vita




Vivacious - Full of joy of living; animated; peppy


Eg: She was a vivacious girl. She was always bubbly and excited making everyone around feel happy. Everyone admired her vivacity.


Vivid - Possessing the freshness of life; strong; sharp ;clear

Eg: With his good communication skills, he explained his trip to Sharm Al Shiekh, so vividly that we were able to imagine the scenery in our minds.



Revive - to bring back to life

Eg: He fell down at the accident site, completely unconscious. But the paramedics, who arrived by the ambulance, were able to revive him by the time they reached the hospital.


Revival - bringing back to life

Eg: In 2007 and ahead, no one expects a fashion-revival of the 1970s' bell bottom-trousers, and large-collared shirts! But who knows?!


An extra bit:

Viviparous means 'producing live babies'. For example human beings and most mammals are viviparous

Oviparous means 'producing babies from eggs'. Most fish, fowl and other forms of life are oviparous.

We see therefore that ovum means egg, and oval and ovoid are egg-shaped, ovulate is to release eggs, and ovary is where eggs are.


Did you know?


Did you know that 'love' comes from 'ovum'??

No. No. Its not the normal love you are thinking about. But its the 'love' they say in sports like tennis or badminton.

That is because ovum means oeuf in french. 'The Egg' is L'oeuf. It is pronounced LERF.

So, when they say, "fifteen-love' or "love-all". They actually mean "fifteen-zero(egg)" or "zero(egg) -all".

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Wonder of Words

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Children, we all know, begin learning by first associating words with objects.

Just recall how little babies start pointing out with their fingers, when you ask them to show, 'mommy', 'daddy' or even 'fan' or 'TV'. They do it because they are slowly learning the meanings of words. But these babies soon pick up amazing speed.

By their second and third year, they would have learnt a couple of hundreds of words.

By the time they are six, a thousand and odd words would be known to them. And since they would be going to school, they start absorbing even more words and their meanings. They may even begin learning words of another language.

Some psychologists have apparently found out that the learning of words is highest during childhood. And by the time one becomes an adult, he or she would know atleast know 25000 - 30000 words.

But strangely, the rate of learning of new words quickly decreases after that. Infact, it seems that some people do not even learn 10 new words an year!! Why?

This is mainly because we are no longer interested or curious about new words. We feel we know enough words to communicate. Or we are simply too busy to read and learn. Or we are simply lethargic.

So, dear friends, this attempt is to make us all look at the wonder of words. To become curious and interested about words, their origins, their roots, and their usage. I hope to make us all little students of words.

To learn in a fun way. A few words at a time.

I hope that by the 31st of December 2007, we would have added atleast 300 words to our vocabulary. [Ofcourse, not just mere words, but along with their correct meanings].

I hope to put together few words at a time, but you can comment and add and suggest as we go along.

I wish you all a Happy Journey, as we explore, discover and understand the wonder of words.

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