Long journeys

DOCTOR comes from the Latin docere, meaning to teach. Earlier, only the most learned teachers were called doctors. This can be seen from titles such as Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Doctor of Literature (D. Litt.). A doctor actually had nothing to do with medicine (which comes from the Latin medicus mederi, meaning to heal). Similarly, the word dunce originally had nothing to do with stupidity or dull-headedness. One of the greatest intellectuals of the 13th century, John Duns Scotus had a large group of followers right up to the Renaissance. With the coming of the new age, contempt for the older modes of thought found expression in the application of the name Dunses or Dunces to the older order.

In earlier times, an enthusiastic person was a religious fanatic. Enthusiasm was the state of being inspired. The word is formed from the Greek en, (in the power of) and theos (God). Since then the word has weakened and today simply means a strong feeling. Ecstasy also meant a sort of religiously inspired fervour in which a person could be, quite literally, out of his mind. It is derived from existanai which is made up of the Greek ex (out) and histanai (to place). Similarly, giddy (lightheaded) implied being out of one’s mind, for it came from gydig (possessed by a god).

Hermit is derived from the Greek eremia, meaning desert, and its adjective form, eremites, which means living in the desert. So, originally, a hermit was a desert dweller living in a hermitage. Hesitate also had a narrower usage. Today, it has come to mean any pause or delay, but earlier it referred to the habit of stammering as it comes from the Latin hesitare, meaning to stumble in speech.

When John Milton in his Paradise Lost named the palace of Satan in Hell Pandemonium, he little realised that it would soon become a common word for any scene of wild disorder or noise. Pandemonium is made up of the Greek pan (all) and daimon (demon). The Greek pan is found in many words today, like panacea (cure all), pandemic (common to all people), panorama (a view in all directions) and pantheon (a temple dedicated to all the gods).

Tap-root

The Hindi pandulipi is used for any hand-written manuscript or draft. The word pandu means white and lipi writing. Now, how can any writing on white paper be white? The history can be traced back to the time when drafts were written by hand. In the absence of ink, the writer would use a sharp implement to scratch the wooden board, slab of stone or mud wall. The writing thus carved was white in colour or pandu. By and by, even after it ceased to be white, any handwritten manuscript came to be called pandulipi.

— Deepti Gupta

This feature was published on May 22, 1999