| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"" |
| Date: |
17 Oct 2006 04:40:53 PM |
| Object: |
for those who know greek or latin |
hi
for those who know greek or latin, is "force" related to "ghost", in
any way?
thanks
.
|
|
| User: "Randy Poe" |
|
| Title: Re: for those who know greek or latin |
17 Oct 2006 04:54:06 PM |
|
|
wrote:
hi
for those who know greek or latin, is "force" related to "ghost", in
any way?
According to http://www.etymonline.com, "force" comes from
Latin "fortis" (strong).
No relation to "ghost" that I can see. The word "ghost" itself
seems to have no root in Latin or Greek.
- Randy
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "" |
|
| Title: Re: for those who know greek or latin |
17 Oct 2006 06:31:22 PM |
|
|
wrote:
hi
for those who know greek or latin, is "force" related to "ghost", in
any way?
thanks
No. The english derivation of ghost from latin is 'phantom' (comes from
phasmatis, phantasma, etc)
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Richard Tobin" |
|
| Title: Re: for those who know greek or latin |
18 Oct 2006 07:44:48 AM |
|
|
In article <1161121253.175675.159860@k70g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
<mainargv@yahoo.com> wrote:
for those who know greek or latin, is "force" related to "ghost", in
any way?
"Ghost" has Germanic roots, perhaps coming from a word meaning "fury".
"Force" derives from Latin "fortis", strong.
There doesn't seem to be any etymological relationship there.
Are you trying to relate those two particular words, or find some
other Latin or Greek word that relates to both concepts?
-- Richard
.
|
|
|
| User: "" |
|
| Title: Re: for those who know greek or latin |
18 Oct 2006 12:17:49 PM |
|
|
Richard Tobin wrote:
In article <1161121253.175675.159860@k70g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
<mainargv@yahoo.com> wrote:
for those who know greek or latin, is "force" related to "ghost", in
any way?
"Ghost" has Germanic roots, perhaps coming from a word meaning "fury".
"Force" derives from Latin "fortis", strong.
There doesn't seem to be any etymological relationship there.
Are you trying to relate those two particular words, or find some
other Latin or Greek word that relates to both concepts?
I've just vaguely remember reading somewhere or in some children's book
that each kind of force
were the domain of certain deity or powerful ghosts. Just thought
ancients might have similar imagination or idea. I thought the
connection might show up in the etymological relationship, if any. I
guess not. thanks.
-- Richard
.
|
|
|
| User: "tadchem" |
|
| Title: Re: for those who know greek or latin |
18 Oct 2006 06:50:45 PM |
|
|
wrote:
<snip>
I've just vaguely remember reading somewhere or in some children's book
that each kind of force
were the domain of certain deity or powerful ghosts. Just thought
ancients might have similar imagination or idea. I thought the
connection might show up in the etymological relationship, if any. I
guess not. thanks.
Many people resort to invoking supernatural beings and their powers as
a way of dealing with phenomena they cannot explain in any more mundane
manner. Theologians call this phenomena the 'god of the gaps' concept,
referring to the gaps in our scientific knowledge.
This has its roots in the earliest animism and 'spirit' religions, and
continues to this day among those who cannot comprehend that anything
as complex as we like to think of ourselves as being could have come
into existence through the application of simple physical, chemical,
and biological mechanisms over sufficient time. The polytheism of
yesteryear has been replaced with a pantheism in which there is only
one god (although we still go to war over which name and which forms of
worship to use ). Still, the omnipresent god is given absolute power
over any and all things we can't understand ourselves well enough to
control (natural disasters and such).
Just a more powerful 'ghost'...
Tom Davidson
Richmond, VA
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
