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** The entry for "Nicotine" explains that the word morphine comes from the [[Myth/RomanMythology Roman god]] of sleep, Morpheus.
to:
** The entry for "Nicotine" explains that the word morphine comes from the [[Myth/RomanMythology [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Roman god]] of sleep, Morpheus.
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** The entry for "Humor" references the Creator/BenJohnson play, ''Theatre/EveryManInHisHumor'', as an example of Elizabethan plays where one personality trait was exaggerated, creating the association between ''humorous'' and ''funny''.
to:
** The entry for "Humor" references the Creator/BenJohnson play, ''Theatre/EveryManInHisHumor'', Creator/BenJonson play ''Theatre/EveryManInHisHumor'' as an example of Elizabethan plays where one personality trait was exaggerated, creating the association between ''humorous'' and ''funny''.
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* ArtifactName:
** The entry for "Atoms" explains that the word comes from the Greek "atomos", which means "not divisible", based on the idea that these particles could not be broken down into anything smaller. In 1896, this assumption was disproven.
---->Now, man's whole future hinges upon the manner in which atoms break up and fuse together and on the behavior of particles smaller than atoms. But still the name is atom--"indivisible".
** The entry for "Chromatography" explains that the word comes from the Greek "chroma" for colour and "graphein" for writing. It is a method of separating compounds with powders or paper, but is now performed for mostly colourless compounds, making the name no longer indicate the reading of pigments.
** The entry for "Colloid" explains that the word comes from the Greek for "glue". It was originally a contrast to crystalline compounds, but the substances have been proven to crystallize, making its intended meaning of "not crystals" inaccurate.
** The entry for "Atoms" explains that the word comes from the Greek "atomos", which means "not divisible", based on the idea that these particles could not be broken down into anything smaller. In 1896, this assumption was disproven.
---->Now, man's whole future hinges upon the manner in which atoms break up and fuse together and on the behavior of particles smaller than atoms. But still the name is atom--"indivisible".
** The entry for "Chromatography" explains that the word comes from the Greek "chroma" for colour and "graphein" for writing. It is a method of separating compounds with powders or paper, but is now performed for mostly colourless compounds, making the name no longer indicate the reading of pigments.
** The entry for "Colloid" explains that the word comes from the Greek for "glue". It was originally a contrast to crystalline compounds, but the substances have been proven to crystallize, making its intended meaning of "not crystals" inaccurate.
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correcting entry
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** The entry for "Vol
to:
** The entry entries for "Vol"Volcano" and "Vulcanize" both mention the god Vulcan from Myth/ClassicalMythology, and the former also mentions Hephaestus and ''Literature/TheIliad'' because Hephaestus is assumed to use Mt Etna as a forge.
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* ScienceMarchesOn: Some words changed over time as part of a [[InvokedTrope deliberate effort]] by scientists to [[Meaningfulnames ensure accuracy]] as they investigated deeper and understood chemical makeup better. Cholesterol, for example, started with the name ''cholesterine'', [[{{Portmanteau}} from "chole" meaning gall, "stear" meaning a type of hard fat, and "-ine" meaning an organic compound]]. However, once it was determined that the cholesterine molecules did not contain nitrogen, but did contain a hydroxyl, it was renamed ''cholesterol'' (around 1900). Derivatives were initially named ''sterols'', but since they lacked the hydroxyl group, they were renamed ''steroids''.
to:
* ScienceMarchesOn: Some words changed over time as part of a [[InvokedTrope deliberate effort]] by scientists to [[Meaningfulnames [[MeaningfulName ensure accuracy]] as they investigated deeper and understood chemical makeup better. Cholesterol, for example, started with the name ''cholesterine'', [[{{Portmanteau}} from "chole" meaning gall, "stear" meaning a type of hard fat, and "-ine" meaning an organic compound]]. However, once it was determined that the cholesterine molecules did not contain nitrogen, but did contain a hydroxyl, it was renamed ''cholesterol'' (around 1900). Derivatives were initially named ''sterols'', but since they lacked the hydroxyl group, they were renamed ''steroids''.
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** The entry for "Phobos" describes how Creator/JonathonSwift's fictional book, ''Literature/GulliversTravels'', postulated that {{UsefulNotes/Mars}} would have two moons before they had been seen in 1877.
to:
** The entry for "Phobos" describes how Creator/JonathonSwift's Creator/JonathanSwift's fictional book, ''Literature/GulliversTravels'', postulated that {{UsefulNotes/Mars}} would have two moons before they had been seen in 1877.
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typo corrected
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Also known more simply as ''Words of Science'', this NonFiction book was first published by Creator/IsaacAsimov in 1959, with the help of Creator/HoughtonMifflin. Each word is accompanied by a short essay about the [[MeaningfulName etymology of the word]] and how it is used in a [[ScienceMarchesOn scientific context]]. It starts with Absolute Zero and ends with Zero (okay, actually it ends with Zodiac and Zero is the penultimate entry). After the essays is an index of words, which includes the names of famous scientists that are mentioned in the essays, for
ease of reference.
ease of reference.
to:
Also known more simply as ''Words of Science'', this NonFiction book was first published by Creator/IsaacAsimov in 1959, with the help of Creator/HoughtonMifflin. Each word is accompanied by a short essay about the [[MeaningfulName etymology of the word]] and how it is used in a [[ScienceMarchesOn scientific context]]. It starts with Absolute Zero and ends with Zero (okay, actually it ends with Zodiac and Zero is the penultimate entry). After the essays is an index of words, which includes the names of famous scientists that are mentioned in the essays, for
for ease of reference.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Page Creation
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:262:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wordsofscience.jpg]]
%% [[caption-width-right:262:some caption text]]
Also known more simply as ''Words of Science'', this NonFiction book was first published by Creator/IsaacAsimov in 1959, with the help of Creator/HoughtonMifflin. Each word is accompanied by a short essay about the [[MeaningfulName etymology of the word]] and how it is used in a [[ScienceMarchesOn scientific context]]. It starts with Absolute Zero and ends with Zero (okay, actually it ends with Zodiac and Zero is the penultimate entry). After the essays is an index of words, which includes the names of famous scientists that are mentioned in the essays, for
ease of reference.
----
!!''Words of Science'' provides examples of:
* BilledAboveTheTitle: Every edition puts Dr Asimov's name at the top of the cover, usually with the title just underneath it and at roughly the same font size.
* CapitalLettersAreMagic: The entry for "Calorie" explains that calorie is short for the calorie-gram (the amount of heat needed to "raise one gram of water from 14.5°C to 15.5°C"). Calorie, on the other hand, is on nutrition facts and is short for the kilocalorie, a thousand times larger. Because we can't hear the difference in RealLife, this causes confusion.
* CometOfDoom: The entry for "Comet" explains the fear from ancient people that comets heralded disaster, and not until the 16th century were they able to be studied in enough detail to determine that they were further away than the moon. The first comet to have its orbit calculated is now called Halley's Comet, after the astronomer Edmund Halley who (in 1704) predicted its return around the year 1758 (the approximation is important as it returned in 1759).
* {{Dedication}}: This book is dedicated to his (first) wife and (only) daughter.
-->To the women in my life\\
''GERTRUDE'' and ''ROBYN''
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: In the entry for "Anthracite" it is explained that the word itself derives from the Greek word "Anthrax", which means coal. There is a type of coal which is used in home heating and is therefore called anthracite coal.
* IceCrystals: In the entry for "Crystal", Dr Asimov explains how the ancient Greeks believed that the symmetry of rocks indicated that they were a type of ice; "kyros". Thus, all minerals that are transparent or symmetrical were called ''krystallos'', which evolved to the modern English word crystal. Any sort of crystalline structure retains this etymology to frozen water, even when the structure isn't actually ice.
* InSpace: The entry for "Echinodermata" explains a medieval theory that aquatic life was a mirror to terrestrial life. Thus, many living things from the oceans are named "sea _____", as in "____, but from the sea". A list that includes sea lions, sea hogs, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins.
* MeaningfulName: This is a book about the etymology of words; why they have their meaning.
* {{Neologism}}: In the entry for "Rh Negative", Dr Asimov explains that the name for the rhesus monkey was entirely invented by the French Naturalist John Baptiste Audebert. From this name comes the Rh factor in human blood types.
* NonIndicativeName:
**The entry for "Atoms" explains that the word comes from the Greek "atomos", which means "not divisible", based on the idea that these particles could not be broken down into anything smaller. In 1896, this assumption was disproven.
--->Now, man's whole future hinges upon the manner in which atoms break up and fuse together and on the behavior of particles smaller than atoms. But still the name is atom--"indivisible".
** The entry for "Chromatography" explains that the word comes from the Greek "chroma" for colour and "graphein" for writing. It is a method of separating compounds with powders or paper, but is now performed for mostly colourless compounds, making the name no longer indicate the reading of pigments.
** The entry for "Colloid" explains that the word comes from the Greek for "glue". It was originally a contrast to crystalline compounds, but the substances have been proven to crystallize, making its intended meaning of "not crystals" inaccurate.
* OverlyLongName: In the entry for "Cortisone", Dr Asimov explains that one of the compounds isolated from the adrenal glands would, by normal naming conventions, be called 11-''dehydro''-17-''hydroxycorticosterone'', but the chemists analyzing the substance figured it would be easier to say ''cortisone'' instead.
* PhilosophersStone: The entry for "Catalysis" describes the search for a substance to turn "base" metals into gold. This substance is then compared to platinum turning a jet of hydrogen into fire without being consumed, as well as other examples where acids and enzymes are created.
* {{Portmanteau}}: Many of the words in this book come from putting two or more words together. In the "Neoprene" entry, it describes the various words for isoprene compounds. The word "chloroprene", especially, is a compound of chlorine and isoprene. In the entry for "Niacin", Dr Asimov explains that the word comes from combining nicotinic (ni), acid (ac), and vitamin (in).
* ScienceMarchesOn: Some words changed over time as part of a [[InvokedTrope deliberate effort]] by scientists to [[Meaningfulnames ensure accuracy]] as they investigated deeper and understood chemical makeup better. Cholesterol, for example, started with the name ''cholesterine'', [[{{Portmanteau}} from "chole" meaning gall, "stear" meaning a type of hard fat, and "-ine" meaning an organic compound]]. However, once it was determined that the cholesterine molecules did not contain nitrogen, but did contain a hydroxyl, it was renamed ''cholesterol'' (around 1900). Derivatives were initially named ''sterols'', but since they lacked the hydroxyl group, they were renamed ''steroids''.
* ShoutOut:
** The entry for "Almanac" mentions ''Magazine/TheOldFarmersAlmanac'' as an example of one of the best-known encyclopedias of weather predictions.
** The entry for "Amalgam" mentions ''Literature/TheIliad'' as an example of the Bronze Age, because all the armour was made of bronze.
** The entry for "Ammonia" explains how words like ammonia and amino acid are derived from Myth/EgyptianMythology, based on the god Amen/Amun, patron of Thebes.
** The entry for "Humor" references the Creator/BenJohnson play, ''Theatre/EveryManInHisHumor'', as an example of Elizabethan plays where one personality trait was exaggerated, creating the association between ''humorous'' and ''funny''.
** The entry for "Hurricane" explains the connection between the various cyclone storms and mythology. Myth/TainoMythology gives us the evil spirit Hurakan, or ''hurricane''. Myth/ClassicalMythology gives us Typhon, who fought Zeus, by way of Arabic; the word tufan became ''typhoon''. The word ''tornado'', in contrast, comes from the older Spanish word "tronada", meaning thunderstorm.
** The entry for "Insect" explains that the pupa stage of development is also called a ''nymph'', from Myth/ClassicalMythology.
** The entry for "Mammal" explains that the spiny anteater is also called the echidna, after the [[Myth/GreekMythology Greek monster]].
** The entry for "Nicotine" explains that the word morphine comes from the [[Myth/RomanMythology Roman god]] of sleep, Morpheus.
** The entry for "Phobos" describes how Creator/JonathonSwift's fictional book, ''Literature/GulliversTravels'', postulated that {{UsefulNotes/Mars}} would have two moons before they had been seen in 1877.
** The entry for "Phobos" explains that the moons of {{UsefulNotes/Mars}} comes from Myth/GreekMythology; Ares had two sons, named Phobos and Deimos.
** The entry for "Phospherous" explains that the Greeks figured out that the "morning star" and "evening star" were actually the same planet, so they named it Aphrodite from Myth/GreekMythology. The Roman name for the same goddess is {{UsefulNotes/Venus}}.
** The entry for "Psychology" begins by describing the relationship between Psyche and Eros, characters from Myth/ClassicalMythology.
** The entry for "Pterodactyl" mentions ''{{WesternAnimation/Fantasia}}'' by name, for the dinosaurs during ''The Rite of Spring''.
** The entry for "Tantalum" explains that the atomic element 73 is named after King Tantalus of Lydia, from Myth/ClassicalMythology.
** The entry for "Thyroid" mentions ''Literature/TheIliad'', albeit in the context of the historical period instead of as a fictional work.
** The entry for "Umbra" explains the use of Umbrial as a name for a sad and gloomy spirit [[{{Foil}} contrasting with]] Creator/WilliamShakespeare's Ariel from ''Theatre/TheTempest''. Umbrial first appeared in Creator/AlexanderPope's "Literature/TheRapeOfTheLock", and both Umbriel and Ariel are names given to {{UsefulNotes/Uranus}}'s moons.
** The entry for "Uranium" explains how the planet {{UsefulNotes/Uranus}} got its name from Myth/ClassicalMythology, the god Ouranos, and how the element Uranium derives its name from that of the planet. Zeus/Jupiter, Cronos/Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto are also mentioned and elements are named after those planets as well.
** The entry for "Vol
* {{Tagline}}: "A famous author makes the language of science accessible to all" -- {{Creator/Mentor}}'s cover from 1969
----
%% [[caption-width-right:262:some caption text]]
Also known more simply as ''Words of Science'', this NonFiction book was first published by Creator/IsaacAsimov in 1959, with the help of Creator/HoughtonMifflin. Each word is accompanied by a short essay about the [[MeaningfulName etymology of the word]] and how it is used in a [[ScienceMarchesOn scientific context]]. It starts with Absolute Zero and ends with Zero (okay, actually it ends with Zodiac and Zero is the penultimate entry). After the essays is an index of words, which includes the names of famous scientists that are mentioned in the essays, for
ease of reference.
----
!!''Words of Science'' provides examples of:
* BilledAboveTheTitle: Every edition puts Dr Asimov's name at the top of the cover, usually with the title just underneath it and at roughly the same font size.
* CapitalLettersAreMagic: The entry for "Calorie" explains that calorie is short for the calorie-gram (the amount of heat needed to "raise one gram of water from 14.5°C to 15.5°C"). Calorie, on the other hand, is on nutrition facts and is short for the kilocalorie, a thousand times larger. Because we can't hear the difference in RealLife, this causes confusion.
* CometOfDoom: The entry for "Comet" explains the fear from ancient people that comets heralded disaster, and not until the 16th century were they able to be studied in enough detail to determine that they were further away than the moon. The first comet to have its orbit calculated is now called Halley's Comet, after the astronomer Edmund Halley who (in 1704) predicted its return around the year 1758 (the approximation is important as it returned in 1759).
* {{Dedication}}: This book is dedicated to his (first) wife and (only) daughter.
-->To the women in my life\\
''GERTRUDE'' and ''ROBYN''
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: In the entry for "Anthracite" it is explained that the word itself derives from the Greek word "Anthrax", which means coal. There is a type of coal which is used in home heating and is therefore called anthracite coal.
* IceCrystals: In the entry for "Crystal", Dr Asimov explains how the ancient Greeks believed that the symmetry of rocks indicated that they were a type of ice; "kyros". Thus, all minerals that are transparent or symmetrical were called ''krystallos'', which evolved to the modern English word crystal. Any sort of crystalline structure retains this etymology to frozen water, even when the structure isn't actually ice.
* InSpace: The entry for "Echinodermata" explains a medieval theory that aquatic life was a mirror to terrestrial life. Thus, many living things from the oceans are named "sea _____", as in "____, but from the sea". A list that includes sea lions, sea hogs, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins.
* MeaningfulName: This is a book about the etymology of words; why they have their meaning.
* {{Neologism}}: In the entry for "Rh Negative", Dr Asimov explains that the name for the rhesus monkey was entirely invented by the French Naturalist John Baptiste Audebert. From this name comes the Rh factor in human blood types.
* NonIndicativeName:
**The entry for "Atoms" explains that the word comes from the Greek "atomos", which means "not divisible", based on the idea that these particles could not be broken down into anything smaller. In 1896, this assumption was disproven.
--->Now, man's whole future hinges upon the manner in which atoms break up and fuse together and on the behavior of particles smaller than atoms. But still the name is atom--"indivisible".
** The entry for "Chromatography" explains that the word comes from the Greek "chroma" for colour and "graphein" for writing. It is a method of separating compounds with powders or paper, but is now performed for mostly colourless compounds, making the name no longer indicate the reading of pigments.
** The entry for "Colloid" explains that the word comes from the Greek for "glue". It was originally a contrast to crystalline compounds, but the substances have been proven to crystallize, making its intended meaning of "not crystals" inaccurate.
* OverlyLongName: In the entry for "Cortisone", Dr Asimov explains that one of the compounds isolated from the adrenal glands would, by normal naming conventions, be called 11-''dehydro''-17-''hydroxycorticosterone'', but the chemists analyzing the substance figured it would be easier to say ''cortisone'' instead.
* PhilosophersStone: The entry for "Catalysis" describes the search for a substance to turn "base" metals into gold. This substance is then compared to platinum turning a jet of hydrogen into fire without being consumed, as well as other examples where acids and enzymes are created.
* {{Portmanteau}}: Many of the words in this book come from putting two or more words together. In the "Neoprene" entry, it describes the various words for isoprene compounds. The word "chloroprene", especially, is a compound of chlorine and isoprene. In the entry for "Niacin", Dr Asimov explains that the word comes from combining nicotinic (ni), acid (ac), and vitamin (in).
* ScienceMarchesOn: Some words changed over time as part of a [[InvokedTrope deliberate effort]] by scientists to [[Meaningfulnames ensure accuracy]] as they investigated deeper and understood chemical makeup better. Cholesterol, for example, started with the name ''cholesterine'', [[{{Portmanteau}} from "chole" meaning gall, "stear" meaning a type of hard fat, and "-ine" meaning an organic compound]]. However, once it was determined that the cholesterine molecules did not contain nitrogen, but did contain a hydroxyl, it was renamed ''cholesterol'' (around 1900). Derivatives were initially named ''sterols'', but since they lacked the hydroxyl group, they were renamed ''steroids''.
* ShoutOut:
** The entry for "Almanac" mentions ''Magazine/TheOldFarmersAlmanac'' as an example of one of the best-known encyclopedias of weather predictions.
** The entry for "Amalgam" mentions ''Literature/TheIliad'' as an example of the Bronze Age, because all the armour was made of bronze.
** The entry for "Ammonia" explains how words like ammonia and amino acid are derived from Myth/EgyptianMythology, based on the god Amen/Amun, patron of Thebes.
** The entry for "Humor" references the Creator/BenJohnson play, ''Theatre/EveryManInHisHumor'', as an example of Elizabethan plays where one personality trait was exaggerated, creating the association between ''humorous'' and ''funny''.
** The entry for "Hurricane" explains the connection between the various cyclone storms and mythology. Myth/TainoMythology gives us the evil spirit Hurakan, or ''hurricane''. Myth/ClassicalMythology gives us Typhon, who fought Zeus, by way of Arabic; the word tufan became ''typhoon''. The word ''tornado'', in contrast, comes from the older Spanish word "tronada", meaning thunderstorm.
** The entry for "Insect" explains that the pupa stage of development is also called a ''nymph'', from Myth/ClassicalMythology.
** The entry for "Mammal" explains that the spiny anteater is also called the echidna, after the [[Myth/GreekMythology Greek monster]].
** The entry for "Nicotine" explains that the word morphine comes from the [[Myth/RomanMythology Roman god]] of sleep, Morpheus.
** The entry for "Phobos" describes how Creator/JonathonSwift's fictional book, ''Literature/GulliversTravels'', postulated that {{UsefulNotes/Mars}} would have two moons before they had been seen in 1877.
** The entry for "Phobos" explains that the moons of {{UsefulNotes/Mars}} comes from Myth/GreekMythology; Ares had two sons, named Phobos and Deimos.
** The entry for "Phospherous" explains that the Greeks figured out that the "morning star" and "evening star" were actually the same planet, so they named it Aphrodite from Myth/GreekMythology. The Roman name for the same goddess is {{UsefulNotes/Venus}}.
** The entry for "Psychology" begins by describing the relationship between Psyche and Eros, characters from Myth/ClassicalMythology.
** The entry for "Pterodactyl" mentions ''{{WesternAnimation/Fantasia}}'' by name, for the dinosaurs during ''The Rite of Spring''.
** The entry for "Tantalum" explains that the atomic element 73 is named after King Tantalus of Lydia, from Myth/ClassicalMythology.
** The entry for "Thyroid" mentions ''Literature/TheIliad'', albeit in the context of the historical period instead of as a fictional work.
** The entry for "Umbra" explains the use of Umbrial as a name for a sad and gloomy spirit [[{{Foil}} contrasting with]] Creator/WilliamShakespeare's Ariel from ''Theatre/TheTempest''. Umbrial first appeared in Creator/AlexanderPope's "Literature/TheRapeOfTheLock", and both Umbriel and Ariel are names given to {{UsefulNotes/Uranus}}'s moons.
** The entry for "Uranium" explains how the planet {{UsefulNotes/Uranus}} got its name from Myth/ClassicalMythology, the god Ouranos, and how the element Uranium derives its name from that of the planet. Zeus/Jupiter, Cronos/Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto are also mentioned and elements are named after those planets as well.
** The entry for "Vol
* {{Tagline}}: "A famous author makes the language of science accessible to all" -- {{Creator/Mentor}}'s cover from 1969
----
