CEMETERY (English words of Greek origin)

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Neos
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CEMETERY (English words of Greek origin)

Post by Neos »

Ancient Greek κοιμητή?ιον (koemeterion; the cemetary, the burial ground, the graveyard) came into Latin as coemeterium and from Latin to English as coemetery (simplified often to cemetery).

In modern Greek
a) κοιμητή?ι: cemetery (koemetery)
b κοιμάμαι: be asleep, pass away (koemamae)
c) κοιμίζω: put sb to bed (koemezo)

κοιμητή?ιον (koemeterion) --> coemeterium --> coemetery --> cemetery

See the blog: English Words of no Apparent Greek Origin at: http://ewonago.blogspot.com/
Last edited by Neos on Sat May 17, 2008 7:52 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Lucus Eques
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Post by Lucus Eques »

Neos (or rather, Nee), you are gravely embarrassing yourself. This happens to be an etymology that is essentially true (unlike many other cognates and false friends you have related to us in similar posts) — but the modern Greek translitteration you provide is really embarrassing, since it does not elucidate anything of the word's history.

Ancient Greek κοιμητη?ιον comes into Latin as coemeterium, and from Latin into English as "coemetery" (simplified often to "cemetery"). So to say English "cemetery" comes from kimitiri is inherently falacious and misleading.
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Lucus Eques
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Post by Lucus Eques »

For example, on the blog, you have this error:
The word wine comes from the Italian vino (wine), from the Latin vinum (wine) that derives from the Greek oinos (οίνος). The root vin- has been adopted by many European languages, such as German (der Wein), French (vin) etc.
No. "Vinum" does not come from Greek. Both are from a common root.

Before you make another such post, it would behove you to examine the clear and accurate etymologies available at Webster.com:

***
Main Entry:
1wine
Pronunciation:
\ˈwīn\
Function:
noun
Usage:
often attributive
Etymology:
Middle English win, from Old English wīn; akin to Old High German wīn wine; both ultimately from Latin vinum wine, perhaps of non-IE origin; akin to the source of Greek oinos win
***
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Lucus Eques
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Post by Lucus Eques »


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Swth\r
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Post by Swth\r »

Unfortunately, there is an extended linguistic (and not only...) chauvinism in Greece, adopted even by teachers of all levels...

Some people like to believe that EVERYTHING (literally speaking) has its origin in ancient Greece...
Dives qui sapiens est...

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