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Pabulum
The Latin word for "fodder." The Oxford English Dictionary defines
pabulum in English as "bland intellectual fare" and "an insipid and
undemanding diet of words." [TH] |
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Paean
This
word comes from ancient Greek and was a song of victory or a song sung by
soldiers to one or more gods. It was also adapted into Latin as paean,
and retained the same meaning as a hymn or chant of victory. This word is
cited by the OED as occurring in literature as early as 1589. [MD] |
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Paraphernalia
In
ancient Rome this was a legal term for a married woman's personal
property. When the word was first transferred into the English, it
retained its original meaning. Since changes in law have rendered that
usage obsolete, it refers instead to things related to an activity. [JC] |
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Pastor
A Latin masculine noun meaning "shepherd" or "herdsman." In
English, "pastor" refers to someone who is a minister or one who leads the
congregation of a Christian church.
OED [AM] |
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Paterfamilias
In Latin this word refers to the male head of a household, and it
was borrowed into English with the same meaning in 1475.
OED [EB] |
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Pathos
An ancient Greek word meaning an incident, accident, or suffering that
befalls one; it has the connotation in English of being something sad or
sorrowful. Cited by the OED as occurring as early as 1579. [MD] |
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Pauper
This Latin word means "a poor person," and was borrowed into
English in 1516 with the same meaning.
OED [EB] |
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Per
A Latin word which means "through," it retains this translation in
English. "Per agreement," for example, simply means through or by an
agreement. Also used in the common phrase per annum, referring to
one's yearly income. [MD] |
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Phaeton
A particular style of carriage, which usually had two seats facing
forward and was drawn by two horses. The OED cites "phaeton" as being
used in English as early as 1735 to refer to this type of carriage.
However, the word comes from the name of the son of Helios (the Sun god),
Phaethon, in Greek mythology. One day Phaethon asked his father if he
could drive his chariot, which led the sun on its path across the sky.
Helios was convinced to let him attempt this feat, but Phaethon was too
weak to hold the horses' reigns and the chariot careened out of control,
almost striking the Earth and nearly setting it on fire. Zeus was so
outraged that he killed the boy; in sorrow, his sisters turned into poplar
trees who wept amber for their deceased brother.
OED
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Ed. William
Smith. Boston: Little and Brown, 1849.
[MD] |
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Phasis
This is a word of ancient Greek origin, which literally means "assertion,"
but which also came to refer to the phases of the moon or aspects of a
person or thing's appearance. Cited by the OED as first being used in
1660. [MD] |
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Preceptor
Latin,
"instructor, tutor". [JM] |
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Quota
A medieval Latin word derived from quot meaning "how many." In
English the word refers to the required (or maximum) amount of something
or to an allotment. [TH & RR] |
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Rector
In Latin this word means "a ruler." It was borrowed into English
in 1225, and usually refers to a position in the Catholic and
Anglican churches.
OED [EB] |
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Rostrum
The Latin word for "beak." A rostrum can also be the beak of a war
ship. For this reason the speakers' platform that once stood in the Roman
Forum was called the rostrum: the stand was surrounded by beaks from
captured ships. A rostrum, (in its English usage) is a platform. By 1771
it begins to mean a pulpit. [TH] |
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Sanctum
Sanctum is the neuter form of the Latin sanctus which means
"holy." As a Latin noun, it can mean "sanctuary." It is also present in
the phrase sanctum sanctorum, the Holy of Holies. It comes to
signify any sacred space in a church or cathedral. The OED cites it being
used as early as 1577.
OED [TH & MD] |
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Scene
From the Greek word skene, referring to the stage-building
in front of which ancient actors would perform. [RR] |
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Scintilla
This word comes from a Latin word meaning "a spark". It was
borrowed into English in a figurative sense by 1692.
OED [EB] |
Spectator
A spectator is a person who watches a certain event. Spectator
comes from the Latin verb specto, spectare which means "to
watch" and the related noun spectator, "watcher" or "onlooker."
The name of the newspaper which John Eames and Major Grantly exchange is
called Spectator.
OED
OLD [KD] |
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Stigma
Greek,
"mark, brand." [JM] |
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Substratum
A form
of the Latin word substernere meaning "to spread underneath." The
word substratum itself means "having been spread underneath."
Trollope uses the word to refer to an underlying layer. [JC] |
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Succedaneum
Latin, meaning "a substitute." [TH] |
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Successor
In
1297 English borrowed this Latin word and its original meaning, which
refers to one who takes up another's position or office.
OED [EB] |
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Syncope
This
word ultimately comes from Greek, although it went through Latin before
being adopted into English. The Greek word sunkoptein meant "to
cut short" and was a combination of the prefix syn- (meaning
"with") and the verb koptein (meaning "to strike"). Trollope uses
it to refer to a state of unconsciousness. [JC] |
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Tapis
This
Greek word literally refers to a cloth, usually with multiple colors and
designs, which was used as a curtain, rug, or tapestry. However, Trollope
seems to use it to refer to a piece of furniture rather than a textile
decoration.
OED [MD] |
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Tedium
The Latin origin of this word is taedium. It means "weariness."
Tedium refers to a state of boredom or weariness caused by monotony or
duration. [TH & RR] |
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Tenor
Latin,
"course, duration, tone, emphasis". Comes to have the meaning of a
habitual condition, quality, or nature either physical or non-physical. [JM] |
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Testator
Latin,
"witness, agent, author of a will" In English, one who has made a will.
OED [JM] |
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Tympanum
This
word is originally taken from the Greek word tumpanon, meaning
"drum." It was then adopted into Latin (as tympanum) with the same
meaning. The word first came into English as the word for a specific part
of the ear, now more commonly known as the "eardrum." [JC] |
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