A while back I wrote my first article on some words and phrases related to Classics that people tend to use wrong. A bit of common assumption, a bit of 2+2=5 and everything in between. Since then I have had a few more ideas and suggestions, so I thought it was high time to add to the list! Here’s another five words or phrases you (may) have been using wrong:
1. Pegasus
Let’s start with an easy one that is sure to ruffle the feathers of a few fantasy enthusiasts out there. When you say the name Pegasus, people instantly think of the white winged stallion, quite possibly the version from Disney’s Hercules. However, what people have come to assume is that the type of creature is called “a pegasus” rather it just being the name of that specific winged horse. In fact, there was only ever the one - the closest we ever get to another flying horse is Hippalectryon who is half horse, half rooster, and entirely hilarious.
Since then, the name has become somewhat synonymous with the type of creature that shows up more and more in fantasy settings in particular. While it doesn’t seem completely outrageous to name a whole race after a famous example, it might be like calling humans ‘Steves’ if he was the only guy you knew. What’s worse is that people now treat it like a Latin word and try to make the plural Pegasi… Shudder.
2. The Caduceus
This one is genuinely quite funny when you start to spot it. In the many symbols that have been passed down to use from the Greeks, you will find two similar staffs (staves): the Caduceus, the Staff of Hermes, and the Rod of Asclepius. Both feature a pole with a snake around it, however as you can see below, Hermes’ staff has two snakes and even little wings, much like his sandals. Now you may well find this more familiar than the Rod of Asclepius, but more often that not it is being used in the wrong context.
Hermes’ staff is one of those carried by messengers; over time it has become a symbol of commerce, trade and profit, by association with Hermes/Mercury. Asclepius’ staff is of course associated with medicine and healing, since they were his primary function. So now you’re thinking, “but wait! I’ve seen the two snake one before in medical centres?” And you would be right - it is commonly misused due the confusion between the two, in a number of contexts. Perhaps most famous was the US Army Medical Corps, which has spread the common usage of it. Some studies suggest it is mostly used incorrectly by commercial institutions who favour branding over accuracy. This is of course where the irony kicks in - that they use the symbol associated with commerce and profit, instead of the actual medical one. Nice!
3. Mentee
This is less ‘incorrect’ and more ‘what??’ because the word Mentee shouldn’t really exist. It’s one of the words that is reverse engineered by analogy - if you have a tutor, you have a tutee, so a mentor must have a mentee, right? Except that mentor doesn’t come from a verb to ‘ment’ - it comes from the wise figure of Mentor in the Odyssey, who is actually Athena in disguise. She guides Telemachus on his journey and in this way, his name became synonymous with an older figure who shepherds a younger one on their path. Of course, when the term entered workplace-speak (will it ever leave), it was not enough to have a Mentor only - they need an object of their menting. So, the Mentee was formed, which was in so many ways a mistake. Not even Odysseus himself could have dreamt up such a sneaky, dastardly scheme.
4. Decimate
We love to split hairs as Classicists. We’ll often borrow the ‘champagne’ joke to explain that, unless you were appointed to complete power by the Roman Senate for a limited term, you’re not a real Dictator but a sparkling autocrat. A similar argument goes for the term decimate, mainly just because it gives people an excuse to talk about their true passion - the Roman army. Yes, this is not just a word meaning to do lots of damage, it is a technical and very painful term. Although changing over time, and the sources on this are not plentiful, we know that one of the harshest forms of military punishment was the Decimation: one in every ten (decem) men would be beaten to death by the other nine. What would bring about such a punishment? Cowardice, fleeing battle, disobeying orders - anything that would truly damage the reputation of the great war machine. This was only reserved for the odd occasion, but you know the threat of it would have served as a incentive in a rigid military system. So - can we use the phrase to mean, just a lot of damage? Ok sure - just try to use it accurately every so often…
5. Hippos
This one is another funny one, and it is to do with the way in which we shorten words. The name Hippopotamus comes from the Greek ἱπποπόταμος which is simply a combination of two words: hippos meaning horse and potamos meaning river. It is a simple as that - it is crudely named a river horse. That’s all fine an dandy, people having been giving animals weird names for millennia. But when you think about it, we now shorten the word to hippo and thus the plural hippos we have essentially cut the word back down into one of its two halves - the Greek word for horse. So it is quite funny that we have dumbed it down even more, from ‘water horse’ to just ‘horse’
Thanks for reading again this week, please drop a comment if you like or if you have any suggestions for future articles. See you next week!