the eye of Nova's mind

etymological origin of 'whore' -- the Proto-Indo-European root qar transformed in other languages into 'lover', 'friend', 'desire'

'prostitute' -- literally means "before" + "to stand, establish"; no original negative connotation

'harlot' -- literally means "vagabond"; had both positive and negative connotations in Chaucer's time

'strumpet' -- hilarious backstory for this mysterious word--not all nouns can verb

While researching background information for "The Concubine", I came across this source on Middle Eastern history, specifically for the Hebrews for the period from Abraham to David (to 1000 BCE). One section reads:

The First Book of Samuel, 9:15, describes Saul as the Lord's choice. And in Chapter 10 of the First Book of Samuel, Saul is described as one of Yahweh's prophets. Saul appears to have been close to the worship of the Canaanite god Ba'al. He named one of his sons Eshbaal (meaning Ba'al exists) and another son he had named Meribaal (meaning Ba'al rewards). Also, one of Saul's Benjamite clansmen was Bealiah (which meant Yahweh is Ba'al).

This is incredibly interesting, etymologically and otherwise.

flaw, c.1325, "snowflake, spark of fire," from O.N. flaga "stone slab, flake" (see flagstone); sense of "defect, fault" first recorded 1586, first of character, later (1604) of material things; probably via notion of a "fragment" broken off.

One word whose root is a pair of diametrical opposites.

The person who wanted to speak with him was named Greg.

I looked up that name.

greg

gregarious 1668, "living in flocks" (of animals), from L. gregarius, from grex (gen. gregis) "flock, herd," reduplication of PIE base *gere- "to gather together, assemble" (cf. Gk. ageirein "to assemble," agora "assembly;" O.C.S. grusti "handful;" Lith. gurgulys "chaos, confusion, gurguole "crowd, mass"). Sense of "sociable" first recorded 1789.

Gregory, male proper name, common in England and Scotland by 1143 (Gregory I sent the men who converted the English to Christianity), from L. Gregorius, from Gk. gregorios, a derivative of gregoros "to be watchful," from PIE base *ger- "to be awake" (cf. Skt. jagarti "he is awake," Avestan agarayeiti "wakes up, rouses").

congregate, c.1400, from L. congregatus, pp. of congregare "to herd together," from com- "together" + gregare "to collect into a flock, gather," from grex (gen. gregis) "a flock." Congregation is from c.1340, used by Tyndale to translate Gk. ekklesia in New Testament, and preferred by 16c. Reformers instead of church; hence the word's main modern sense of "local society of believers" (1526), and Congregational, the Protestant sect, from 1639.

segregate, 1542, from L. segregatus, pp. of segregare "separate from the flock, isolate, divide," from *se gregare, from se "apart from" (see secret) + grege, ablative of grex "herd, flock." Originally often with ref. to the religious notion of separating the flock of the godly from sinners. Segregation (1555) is from L.L. segregatio, from L. segregatus; in the specific U.S. racial sense it is attested from 1903; segregationist is from the 1920s.

More about plants that produce sardonic laughter: Ranunculus sceleratus

Sardonic or Sarcastic? (And what about Ironic?)

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

"And about differing between Magic and Sorcery Paracelsus wrote: 'There are those who say that magic is sorcery: But magic is wisdom, and there is no wisdom in sorcery.'"
--The Magi

A Is for Ancient, Describing an Alphabet Found Near Jerusalem

Archaeologists digging in July at the site, Tel Zayit, found the inscribed stone in the wall of an ancient building. After an analysis of the layers of ruins, the discoverers concluded that this was the earliest known specimen of the Hebrew alphabet and an important benchmark in the history of writing, they said this week.

So, covering my tracks, I looked up the word pituitary, and inadvertently came across its etymology:

Latin pituita phlegm; from the former belief that the pituitary gland secreted phlegm -- more at PIP

[At this point, I'd just like to say that "pituita" itself sounds like what it sounds like when you spit out phlegm.]

Pip. Middle English pippe, from Middle Dutch (akin to Old High German pfiffIz), from (assumed) Vulgar Latin pipita, alteration of Latin pituita phlegm, pip; perhaps akin to Greek pitys pine.

Consider. (French=Latin.) French. considerer.=Latin considerare, to consider, originally to contemplate the stars. = Latin con- (cum), together; sider- stem of sidus, a star.