Session 9
Shweta and Gaurav have introduced us to more specialists and their specializations.
This session deals with the etymology of these words, plus a few more.
This Is Going To Hurt Just A Little Bit
Orthodontist - orthos (straight, correct) + odontos (tooth) : one who straightens/corrects teeth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodontist
Peridontist - peri (surround, surrounding) + odontos (tooth) : Gum specialist, gums surround the teeth, according to the framers of the English language.
Endodontist - endon (inner, within) + odontos (tooth) : specializes in work on the pulp of the tooth and in root-canal therapy.
Speciality is called endodontics and the adjective endodontic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endodontics
A little exercise... What would be the name for a specialist in extraction of teeth?
FYI, I have made 4 trips to an exodontist, and at each visit losing 1 tooth.
Please have a look at my comment.
Measurement
Optometrist - opsis, optikos (view, vision) + metron (measurement) : measures vision
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optometrist
Thermometer - therme (heat) + metron (measurement) : do I need to explain?
Trivia - I always believed Galileo was the inventor of the thermometer. This link http://www.brannan.co.uk/thermometers/invention.html proves that i was wrong. Galileo's invention merely indicated temperature differences, while a thermometer must measure temperature differences. His instrument should rightly be called a thermoscope.
Barometer - baros (weight) + metron (measurement)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barometer
Sphygmomanometer - sphygmos (pulse) + metron (measurement) : For ignorant souls like me, it is a device for measuring blood pressure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphygmomanometer
And you all know what the metric system is.
Making bones about it
Osteopath - osteon (bone) + pathos (suffering/disease) : Osteopathy, as Shweta had very well explained, is based on the theory that disease is caused by pressure of the bones on blood vessels and nerves.
Osteopathic is not a bone specialist, despite the misleading etymology.
Let us differentiate between an osteopathic and an orthopaedist here.
Osteopathic : a practitioner of osteopathy
Orthopaedist - orthos (straight, correct) + paidos (child) : bone specialist
The term was coined in 1741 by the author of a textbook on the prevention of childhood dieseases. Back then, correction of spinal curvature in children was a main concern of orthopaedics (adj.) Today, they treat adults, and children of course.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopathy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthopedic_surgery
Chiropodist - cheir, chiro (hand) + podos (foot) : foot specialist.
The term was coined in the days when manual labour was the norm. People worked on push-button devices and worked with their hands, developing calluses on their upper extremities as well on their feet, according to NL.
3 of the Gyaanis have consulted a chiropodist, if the 3rd one can be called one that is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropodist
Chiropractors : heal with their hands
speciality : chiropractic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractor
Chirography - chiro (hand) + graph (as in graphologist) : art of handwriting
Chirographer - An expert in writing by hand, or in pensmanship (For eg. Komal)
adj. - chirographic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirography
Another exercise... Can you tell me what is Chiromancy?
FYI, mancy means foretelling or predicition.
Practitioner is called chiromancer.
adj. - chiromantic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiromancy
Octopus - octo/okto (eight) + pus/pous/podos (foot)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus (if someone is interested in studying it, that is)
Platypus - platys (broad, flat) + pus/pous/podos (foot) : strange water mammals with a duck's bill, webbed feet and a beaver-like tail that reproduces by laying eggs. By etymology, means a flatfoot.
Trivia - The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a 30–40 cm long, half-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, and one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young (the other four are echidnas). It is the sole extant representative of its family (Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of fossilised relatives have been found, some of them also in the Ornithorhynchus genus.
This egg-laying, duck-billed mammal whose males have a venomous spur on the hind foot, baffled naturalists when it was first discovered. The uniqueness of the Platypus makes it a recognizable symbol of Australia (along with the kangaroo and koala) — it is featured on the reverse of the Australian 20-cent coin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus
Podium - podos (foot) + ium (place where) : a speaker's platform, a place for the feet.
Additional words:
Gymnasium
Stadium
Auditorium
Tripod - tri (three) + podos (foot) : 3-legged stand.
Trivia- Tripod.com, a free webhosting service currently run by Lycos (a search engine)
Podiatrist - podos (foot) + iatreia (medical healing) : Another name for a chiropodist.
Speciality is called podiatry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podiatrist
Is your head spinning due to this barrage of words? Well mine is, if yours isn't... as I'm racing against time as I write this.
So here is a quick revision of what we have learnt today
Prefix/Root/Suffix : Meaning
. orthos : straight, correct
. odontos : teeth
. paidos (paed- ) : child
. -ic : adjective suffix
. peri- : around, surrounding
. endo- : inner, within
. ex- : out
. opsis, optikos : vision
. metron : measurement
. therme : heat
. baros : weight
. sphygmos : pulse
. osteon : bone
. pathos : suffering, disease
. pous, podos : foot
. platys : broad, flat
. –ium : place where
. cheir (chiro-) : hand
. mancy : prediction
. iatreia : medical healing
posted by Shweta at 6/14/2006 09:07:00 PM
8 Comments:
Could not resist posting this poem... It's my favourite.
If you remember, we had this in our English textbooks in Class X. Work for you all... name the author.
This Is Going To Hurt Just A Little Bit
One thing I like less than most things is sitting in a dentist chair with my mouth wide open.
And that I will never have to do it again is a hope that I am against hope hopen.
Because some tortures are physical and some are mental,
But the one that is both is dental.
It is hard to be self-possessed
With your jaw digging into your chest.
So hard to retain your calm
When your fingernails are making serious alterations in your life line or love line or some other important line in your palm;
So hard to give your usual effect of cheery benignity
When you know your position is one of the two or three in lifemost lacking in dignity.
And your mouth is like a section of road that is being worked on.
And it is all cluttered up with stone crushers and concrete mixers and drills and steam rollers and there isn't a nerve in your head thatyou aren't being irked on.
Oh, some people are unfortunate enough to be strung up by thumbs.
And others have things done to their gums,
And your teeth are supposed to be being polished,
But you have reason to believe they are being demolished.
And the circumstance that adds most to your terror
Is that it's all done with a mirror,
Because the dentist may be a bear, or as the Romans used to say, onlythey were referring to a feminine bear when they said it, an ursa,
But all the same how can you be sure when he takes his crowbar in onehand and mirror in the other he won't get mixed up, the way youdo when you try to tie a bow tie with the aid of a mirror, and forgetthat left is right and vice versa?
And then at last he says That will be all; but it isn't because he thencoats your mouth from cellar to roof
With something that I suspect is generally used to put a shine on a horse's hoof.
And you totter to your feet and think. Well it's all over now and afterall it was only this once.
And he says come back in three monce.
And this, O Fate, is I think the most vicious circle that thou ever sentest,
That Man has to go continually to the dentist to keep his teeth in good condition when the chief reason he wants his teeth in good condition is so that he won't have to go to the dentist.
Wonderful my friend!! I never once doubted your capabilities...
The problem is same with u n me, we alwasys need a push... I hope you saved some dil, jigar, jaan for the other place too...
The author of the poem is Ogden Nash and i very much empathize with the author, and anyone else who has been to an orthodentist or endodentist or exodentist. I have been a victim of the former two.
Thank you my friend!
And yes the dil, jigar, jaan is there where it needs to be.
And what are you writing here?
"orthodentist or endodentist or exodentist."
Dont do this please... atleast immediately after reading a session
Oops!!!
Got it... OrthodOntist, EndodOntist, ExodOntist.
Ya thats better...
hey minus !!! great job. esp appending the poem to the post has made all the difference... n this time it seems u have not dont all the work in office...
btw, how did ur percentage session go on ? hope this initiation will help u find rhythm in our prep...!!!
keep up the good work...!!!
btw, forgot to mention the name of the author....
it is ogden nash.
this has been my fav poem as well although i did not have to face this myself... so u have a much "better" perspective of being in the hot seat...
Well Priyank, FYI, I have done all the work from ofice. Right from scratch.
And percentage session was okay... wasnt able to cover much... but atleast a start. I have to squeeze out 1 productive hour everyday in the morning now. And that applies to all of you. In fact, you can devote even more.
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