History Main / FromTheLatinIntroDucere

The examples may also be [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymological_fallacy etymological fallacies]] ("logos" is Greek for "word", which is where "logic" comes from, so logic is just toying with words) or just plain nonsensical pseudo-etymology (Did you know "shit" originated as an acronym for Ship High In Transit? [[note]][[UrbanLegend No it didn't.]] It's actually (very distantly, through Proto-Indo-European) related to the Latin verb "scio" and thus to "science".[[/note]]).

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* In ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', River comments on Mal's name, saying "Mal. Bad. [[GratuitousLatin In the Latin.]]" While technically this is true, in Mal Reynolds' case, "Mal" is short for "Malcolm", a Scottish name meaning "Follower of St. Columba." In River's defense, she's a bit of a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} at the best of times due to the Alliance PlayingWithSyringes, although it could be taken to simply mean that Mal [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold isn't as bad as he presents himself to be.]]

* Comment sections are bad for this. Often terms like 'homo sapiens' will not be accepted by their programs because [[ScunthorpeProblem they contain]] 'homo' which is taken as a slur.

* Comment sections are bad for this. Often terms like 'homo sapiens' will not be accepted by their programs because they contain 'homo' which is taken as a slur.

* ''Series/ThePunisher'': Frank's sidekick makes a point by claiming that the name of Cerberus, the canine guardian of the Greek underworld, comes from the Greek word for "spotted," meaning that the [[FluffyTheTerrible hellhound's original name was Spot]]. This is actually a real hypothesis of where the name comes from, but it is only one of several guesses, and there is no academic consensus on the name's origin.

* In ''Manga/BusouRenkin'', Doctor Butterfly says that the word "Carnival" comes from "cannibalism" (ItMakesSenseInContext). Creator/NobuhiroWatsuki said in the liner notes of the tankoubon that this was a goof on his part ("carnival" is indeed cognate to Latin ''carnem'', "meat", but the linkage actually comes from abstention from meat for Lent) and said to call it Butterfly's mistake InUniverse.

* "''Literature/FromTheNewWorld'':

* ''Literature/FromTheNewWorld''"

The examples may also be [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymological_fallacy etymological fallacies]] ("logos" is Greek for "word", which is where "logic" comes from, so logic is just toying with words) or just plain nonsensical pseudo-etymology (Did you know "shit" originated as an acronym for Ship High In Transit? [[note]][[UrbanLegend No it didn't.]] It's actually (very distantly, through Proto-Indo-European) related to the Latin verb "scio" and thus to "science."[[/note]]).

Beware: it's very easy for careless people to lapse into ArtisticLicenseLinguistics with etymologies. Just because a word was historically derived from an older word doesn't necessarily make that part of the word's meaning as it's used today. (When modern English speakers say we live in a "county," we probably don't mean "an area ruled by [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever a Count]]".)

* Watanuki does this to a woman in ''Manga/XxxHolic'', explaining that she doesn't love Doumeki, only admires him. Admiration, from Latin, Ad - On and Mirare - being amazed. At least, that's how it goes in Portuguese. He then proceeds to explain the Japanese etymology, and proceeds to use said little etymology lesson to make his point.
* In ''Manga/BusoRenkin'', Doctor Butterfly says that the word "Carnival" comes from "cannibalism" (ItMakesSenseInContext). Creator/NobuhiroWatsuki said in the liner notes of the tankoubon that this was a goof on his part ("carnival" is indeed cognate to Latin ''carnem'', "meat", but the linkage actually comes from abstention from meat for Lent) and said to call it Butterfly's mistake InUniverse.
* ''Literature/FromTheNewWorld'' in its anime adaptation, episode 25, Saki and Satoru are discussing about the bakenezumi's origin, erroneously interpreting a similarity between naked mole-rat's scientific name (Heterocephalus glaber) and human being's scientific name (homo sapiens). While Greek element "hetero" (meaning ''different'' or ''other'') in ''Heterocephalus'' is the opposite of Greek element "homos" (meaning ''same'') this element is not the one used in "''homo'' sapiens", which came from Latin element "homo" (meaning ''human'').

* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': The VictimOfTheWeek was a guy who seemed to really be SantaClaus. This gives them another opportunity to bicker LikeAnOldMarriedCouple. Booth's remark isn't quite FromTheLatinIntroDucere, but Brennan's correction is.

* ''Literature/{{Dinotopia}}'': Lee Crabb points out that "Dinotopia" may be a portmanteau of "dinosaur utopia", but its direct translation from the original Greek is "terrible place", reflecting his low opinion of the place (as a GeniusBonus, he's right, but the old meaning of "terrible" means something like "fearfully great" or "awe-inspiring" as opposed to the modern meaning of "really bad"; this older meaning is an accurate description of Dinotopia while undermining Crabb's point).

* In ''Manga/BusoRenkin'' Doctor Butterfly says that the word "Carnival" comes from "cannibalism" (ItMakesSenseInContext). Creator/NobuhiroWatsuki said in the liner notes of the tankoubon that this was a goof on his part ("carnival" is indeed cognate to Latin ''carnem'', "meat", but the linkage actually comes from abstention from meat for Lent) and said to call it Butterfly's mistake InUniverse.

* A running joke in ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'' has the replicants take exception to being called robots because "Robot comes from the Latin 'robotum' meaning 'slave' and we are not slaves." (They're partially correct; robot comes from the Slavic word robota, meaning forced labor or drudgery.)
* The father in ''Film/MyBigFatGreekWedding'' frequently claims that he can show the Greek root of any word. [[CulturalPosturing He's actually making most of it up]].
-->'''Toula's Friend''': Alright, Mr. Portokalos: "kimono".\\
'''Gus''': ''[thinks for a moment]'' "Kimono"... that come from the Greek word "χειμώνας" ("khimónas"), which means "winter". What do you wear in the winter? A robe! [[InsaneTrollLogic So, kimono, robe, there you go!]][[note]]Actually, in Japanese, ''kimono'' literally means "something to wear".[[/note]]

* In ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', when Comicbook/LexLuthor is introduced as a "philanthropist" as he's about to give a speech at a charity gala he's hosting, he begins his speech by pointing out that philanthropist is a greek word meaning a "a lover of humanity".

* In ''Film/JurassicPark'', Dr. Grant starts describing velociraptors, mentioning their birdlike qualities. He declares that "Even the word "raptor" means bird of prey!" That is true.... but only in English. The "raptor" in "velociraptor" is a latin word meaning "seizer or "thief"[[note]]it just happened to evolve into the meaning "bird of prey" in English somewhere down the line[[/note]] and velociraptor was so named because the scientists describing it thought that they raided nests, stealing eggs and hatchlings. Velociraptors ''are'' very birdlike, and since ''Jurassic Park'' introduced to the public the idea that dinosaurs are the ancestors of birds scientists have determined the velociraptors probably even had feathers, making them even more birdlike, but their naming is just a coincidence.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series:
** ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'':
---> Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. Elves are marvelous. They cause marvels. Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror. The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes, look behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are ''nice''. Elves are ''bad.''
** In ''Literature/MenAtArms'', Carrot points out that, as a policeman -- from ''polis'', city -- he is a man of the city. Later, when Carrot brings this up to the city's ruler, Lord Vetinari, Vetinari responds by pointing out that "politician" has the same root.
** In ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'', Carrot also informs Vimes that the word "copper" does not come from the fact that the Watch badge is made of copper, but from ''coppere'', which means "to capture".
** In ''Literature/InterestingTimes'', we get a dodgy etymology of "teleport": "It comes from ''tele'', meaning 'I see,' and 'porte,' meaning 'to go,' the whole meaning 'I see it's gone.' [[labelnote:*]]It actually derives from "tele" = "far", and "port" meaning "door". Thus, a door to a faraway place. [[/labelnote]]
** ''Literature/SoulMusic'' has a semi-accurate etymology of "wizard". Susan reflects that the word derives from "wise", which is true - but the [[FootnoteFever accompanying footnote]] claims "From the Old wys-ars: lit. one who, at the bottom, is very smart.
** In ''Literature/TheTruth'', Otto comments that another word for [[MagicalCamera iconographer]] might be "photographer", based on the Latatian word "photos", which means "[[TranslationYes to prance about like a pillock ordering people around as if you own the place]]", although the rest of the conversation is based on it meaning "light" (Otto has invented "obscurography", where he takes pictures with darkness).

* In the ''Literature/MerryGentry'' series, the [[AsYouKnow narrator's monologue]] often explains the Gaelic origins of certain words, and connects their modern, metaphorical meaning to the ancient, literal meaning used by [[TheFairFolk the fey]] in the story. For instance, "slogan" is a corruption of "slaugh-gairn" (BattleCry), so called because Celtic war cries were a kind of incantation, calling on the faerie slaugh to help them. She also describes an actress as "glamorous" as a way of pointing out that her faerie power and her fame are synergistic.

* CausticCritic George Jean Nathan invented two derisive joke etymologies for "vaudeville":
-->French: "Va" (go) + "de" (to) + "vil" (something low).\\
German: "Wo" (where) + "der" (is the) + "Will" (sense)?
* In Max Shulman's ''Barefoot Boy with Cheek'', the author's note explains that "Minnesota" is a meaningless combination of the only two Indian words he knows: "'Minne' meaning a place where four spavined men and a minor woman ate underdone pemmican, and 'sota' meaning the day the bison got away because the hunter's wife blunted his arrows in a fit of pique."
* ''Literature/TheDevilsDictionary'' makes a few jokes of this type:
** "Tedium" is alleged to derive "from a very obvious source--the first words of the ancient Latin hymn ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Deum Te Deum Laudamus]]''. In this apparently natural derivation there is something that saddens."
** "Tadpole," as mentioned in the [[KrakenAndLeviathan "Leviathan"]] entry, is implied to be derived from its Latin name, ''Thaddeus polandensis'' (Thaddeus of Poland).

* ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' creator Scott Adams jokes in one of his business book parodies that [[AssPull the word "analysis" comes from the root word "anal", and the suffix "-ysis", meaning "to pull numbers from"]]. Another time he claims in reference to BoyishShortHair, that "convenient" comes from an [[FictionalCountry Elbonian]] word meaning "looks exactly like a man, but inexplicably has breasts".

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSf8Vah8Y_Y This exchange]] between Max and Tycho in ''VideoGame/PokerNightAtTheInventory'':
-->'''Tycho''': Do you know the etymology of the word "flop"?\\
'''Max''': Nope!\\
'''Tycho''': In the early 1600s, [[SophisticatedAsHell it was when the King would take a shit on a peasant]]. I fold.

* A joke: Do you know where the word "Politics" comes from? "Poly-", meaning "Many" and "-tics" meaning "Bloodsucking parasites."
* Another joke: "Ex" means "former" and a spurt is a drip under pressure. So an "expert" is a "former drip under pressure".

** ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies'':

** In ''Discworld/MenAtArms'', Carrot points out that, as a policeman -- from ''polis'', city -- he is a man of the city. Later, when Carrot brings this up to the city's ruler, Lord Vetinari, Vetinari responds by pointing out that "politician" has the same root.
** In ''Discworld/NightWatch'', Carrot also informs Vimes that the word "copper" does not come from the fact that the Watch badge is made of copper, but from ''coppere'', which means "to capture".
** In ''Discworld/InterestingTimes'', we get a dodgy etymology of "teleport": "It comes from ''tele'', meaning 'I see,' and 'porte,' meaning 'to go,' the whole meaning 'I see it's gone.' [[labelnote:*]]It actually derives from "tele" = "far", and "port" meaning "door". Thus, a door to a faraway place. [[/labelnote]]
** ''Discworld/SoulMusic'' has a semi-accurate etymology of "wizard". Susan reflects that the word derives from "wise", which is true - but the [[FootnoteFever accompanying footnote]] claims "From the Old wys-ars: lit. one who, at the bottom, is very smart.
** In ''Discworld/TheTruth'', Otto comments that another word for [[MagicalCamera iconographer]] might be "photographer", based on the Latatian word "photos", which means "[[TranslationYes to prance about like a pillock ordering people around as if you own the place]]", although the rest of the conversation is based on it meaning "light" (Otto has invented "obscurography", where he takes pictures with darkness).

* In ''Manga/BusouRenkin'' Doctor Butterfly says that the word "Carnival" comes from "cannibalism" (ItMakesSenseInContext). Creator/NobuhiroWatsuki said in the liner notes of the tankoubon that this was a goof on his part ("carnival" is indeed cognate to Latin ''carnem'', "meat", but the linkage actually comes from abstention from meat for Lent) and said to call it Butterfly's mistake InUniverse.

* In ''Film/JurassicPark'', Dr. Grant starts describing velociraptors, mentioning their birdlike qualities. He declares that "Even the word "raptor" means bird of prey!" That is true.... but only in English. The "raptor" in "velociraptor" is a latin word meaning "seizer or "thief" (it just happened to evolve into the meaning "bird of prey" in English somewhere down the line) and velociraptor was so named probably because the scientists describing it thought that they raided nests, stealing eggs and hatchlings. Velociraptors ''are'' very birdlike, but their naming is just a coincidence.[[note]]It turns out to be more appropriate now that we've learned dinosaurs were the ancestors of birds though.[[/note]]

* A creationist example is the claim that the ancient Chinese word for "flood" means "eight people in a boat" i.e. Noah and his family. The Chinese sign cited is actually the word "boat"; which combines the old sign for "dug-out canoe" [ancient China being a river society] with the sign for 'chyan'/ "lead" [metal]which sounds like 'chuan'/"boat". In fairness folk etymology is very popular in Chinese.

* A creationist example is the claim that the Chines word for "flood" means "eight people in a boat" i.e. Noah and his family. The Chinese sign cited is actually the word "boat"; which combines the old sign for "dug-out canoe" [ ancient China being a riverine society]with the sign for 'chyan'/ "lead" [metal]which sounds like "boat"/ 'chuan'. In fairness folk etymology is very popular in Chinese.

----

* ''ComicStrip/{{xkcd}}'' strip 1319, "[[http://xkcd.com/1319/ Automation]]", which demonstrates the futility of automating software tasks, claims that "automating" comes from the roots "auto-" (self) and "mating" (screwing).

* In ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', River comments on Mal's name, saying "Mal. Bad. [[GratuitousLatin In the Latin.]]" While technically this is true, ion Mal Reynolds' case, "Mal" is short for "Malcolm", a Scottish name meaning "Follower of St. Columba." In River's defense, she's a bit of a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} at the best of times due to the Alliance PlayingWithSyringes, although it could be taken to simply mean that Mal [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold isn't as bad as he presents himself to be.]]

* In ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', River comments on Mal's name, saying "Mal. Bad. [[GratuitousLatin In the Latin.]]"
** And, in fact, gets it wrong. In Mal Reynolds' case, "Mal" is short for "Malcolm", a Scottish name meaning "Follower of St. Columba." Unless it should be taken to simply mean that Mal [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold isn't as bad as he presents himself to be.]]

* In ''Film/JurassicPark'', Dr. Grant starts describing velociraptors, mentioning their birdlike qualities. He declares that "Even the word "raptor" means bird of prey!" That is true.... but only in English. The "raptor" in "velociraptor" is a latin word meaning "seizer or "thief" (it just happened to evolve into the meaning "bird of prey" in English somewhere down the line) and velociraptor was so named probably because the scientists describing it thought that they raided nests, stealing eggs and hatchlings. Velociraptors 'are' very birdlike, but their naming is just a coincidence.

'''Gus''': ''[thinks for a moment]'' "Kimono"... that come from the Greek word "χειμώνας" ("khimónas"), which means "winter". What do you wear in the winter? A robe! [[InsaneTrollLogic So, kimono, robe, there you go!]]