To learn the ancient roots of a word is to discover a thousand year old poem hidden in plain sight. Even common words are art, brilliantly crafted odes to experience, carried safely, unbattered by time in a web of secret families. It genuinely fucking thrills me.
Let me show you what I mean.
You probably know this one :
Astronaut :
Astro (stars) + naut (sailor) =
Sailor of the stars
Lovely!
More obscure :
Entheogen = En (within) + theos (god) + gen (generate)
"That which generates the divine within the self"
Which was created as a spiritually respectful alternative to
Psychedelic = Psyche (soul) + delic (to make clear)
"That which makes the soul visible"
And is the descendent of Enthusiasm (^^En-theos) which in ancient times meant to be compelled by spiritual force
Ancient Families:
Cand- : to glow
Gives us
Candle, incense / incense, incandescent, incendiary, and candor
So cozy!
Have you ever noticed that incense (burned fragrance) and incense (enrage) are not just homonyms but -- in a sense -- synonyms! They both mean to ignite!
You can really go down rabbit holes with this stuff.
NEOLOGISM : Neo (new) + logos (words)
"The invention of new words"
Here's the best part :
You too can be a wordsmith. Maybe there's something important to you that no one else has bothered to make a word for. Spend just a few hours studying Latin roots and make some connections.
Some words I invented :
Anamniphobia = Anamni (remembrance) + phobia (fear)
"Fearing the judgment of your future self"
Atoperotic = Atopos (unclassifiable) + eros (desire)
"Magnetic attraction of the bizarre and unusual"
Katamania = Kata (downward) + mania (frenzy)
"A willing descent into madness"
Microphallophobia
Try working this one out for yourself
Phauleros = Phaul (worthless) + eros (desire)
"Meaningless sex"
Rhipolia = Rhipe (blink) + polis (city)
"Distant city lights at night"
Theseusized
"To be changed to the point of unrecognition"
...Clearly these words say a lot about what troubles my mind
LOGOPHILIA = Logos (words) + philia (love)
"The love of words"
Anosognia - A (without) + Nosos (illness) + gnosis (awareness)
"To be unaware of your own metal defecit"
Atopos - The ineffability of things that are rarely experienced
Coracoid = Korax (crow/raven) + -oid (form of).
"Resembling a raven's beak"
Ecstacy = Ek- (out) + stasis (to stand)
"To stand outside of yourself"
Tenebrus
Trephination - Using a stone instrument to remove parts of the skull, allowing evil spirits to escape
Hiraeth
Heliotrope = helios (sun) + trepein (turn)
"That which turns towards the sun"