Re: [math-fun] The word "stathm"
Thanks for the responses! Allan writes: << What a cool word. There are a few Greek words with this stem, which all seem to share a sense of measuring, aligning, or marking out. The feminine noun "stathma" or "stathme" means a carpenter's rule or line; the masculine "stathmos" is an animal's rectangular stall. The verb "stathmao" means "measure by rule." The neuter noun "stathmon" means a weight. I'm not sure if all of these have the same etymological origin.
Interesting. Wow, you know Greek?! --Dan _____________________________________________________________________ "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that certain je ne sais quoi." --Peter Schickele
No, I don't know Greek, though I'd love to. I know *about* Greek, enough to be able to use reference materials. If you are curious about Ancient Greek, I recommend getting a scholar's edition of Euclid's *Elements*, with Greek and English on facing pages. The Perseus Project has Euclid on the web, but the user interface is a little clunky. It's great fun (and strangely moving) to sound out "*Protos arithmos estin ho monadi monei metroumenos*", and figure out why that means "A prime number is one which by the unit alone is measured." (*Elements*, VII, def. 11.) On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 8:52 PM, Dan Asimov <dasimov@earthlink.net> wrote:
Thanks for the responses!
Allan writes:
<< What a cool word. There are a few Greek words with this stem, which all seem to share a sense of measuring, aligning, or marking out. The feminine noun "stathma" or "stathme" means a carpenter's rule or line; the masculine "stathmos" is an animal's rectangular stall. The verb "stathmao" means "measure by rule." The neuter noun "stathmon" means a weight. I'm not sure if all of these have the same etymological origin.
Interesting. Wow, you know Greek?!
--Dan
_____________________________________________________________________ "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that certain je ne sais quoi." --Peter Schickele
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
James Buddenhagen's citation to the metrology book is cool; apparently the word was used for a unit of linear measure, varying a lot but typically a few leagues; "stage" is often given as a synonym. The earliest mathematical citation I can find is from 1933, in Cyrus Colton MacDuffee's *Theory of Matrices.* Google Books won't show enough to see whether there's a hint where MacDuffee got the term; perhaps a reader with access to a good university library can pitch in. Let's get our ducks in a row and submit our findings to Jesse Sheidlower; J9Mosely also has an "in" at American Heritage. It's too cute a word to stay out of the dictionary. On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 9:27 PM, Allan Wechsler <acwacw@gmail.com> wrote:
No, I don't know Greek, though I'd love to. I know *about* Greek, enough to be able to use reference materials. If you are curious about Ancient Greek, I recommend getting a scholar's edition of Euclid's *Elements*, with Greek and English on facing pages. The Perseus Project has Euclid on the web, but the user interface is a little clunky.
It's great fun (and strangely moving) to sound out "*Protos arithmos estin ho monadi monei metroumenos*", and figure out why that means "A prime number is one which by the unit alone is measured." (*Elements*, VII, def. 11.)
On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 8:52 PM, Dan Asimov <dasimov@earthlink.net> wrote:
Thanks for the responses!
Allan writes:
<< What a cool word. There are a few Greek words with this stem, which all seem to share a sense of measuring, aligning, or marking out. The feminine noun "stathma" or "stathme" means a carpenter's rule or line; the masculine "stathmos" is an animal's rectangular stall. The verb "stathmao" means "measure by rule." The neuter noun "stathmon" means a weight. I'm not sure if all of these have the same etymological origin.
Interesting. Wow, you know Greek?!
--Dan
_____________________________________________________________________ "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that certain je ne sais quoi." --Peter Schickele
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
James Buddenhagen's citation to the metrology book is cool; apparently the word was used for a unit of linear measure, varying a lot but typically a few leagues; "stage" is often given as a synonym. The earliest mathematical citation I can find is from 1933, in Cyrus Colton MacDuffee's *Theory of Matrices.* Google Books won't show enough to see whether there's a hint where MacDuffee got the term; perhaps a reader with access to a good university library can pitch in. Let's get our ducks in a row and submit our findings to Jesse Sheidlower; J9Mosely also has an "in" at American Heritage.
Anybody have an "in" at MW? (Which gives stathmokinesis and stathm=landing place.)
It's too cute a word to stay out of the dictionary.
'Taint math, but I like "stloppus".
On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 9:27 PM, Allan Wechsler <acwacw@gmail.com> wrote:
No, I don't know Greek, though I'd love to. I know *about* Greek, enough to be able to use reference materials. If you are curious about Ancient Greek, I recommend getting a scholar's edition of Euclid's *Elements*, with Greek and English on facing pages. The Perseus Project has Euclid on the web, but the user interface is a little clunky.
It's great fun (and strangely moving) to sound out "*Protos arithmos estin ho monadi monei metroumenos*", and figure out why that means "A prime number is one which by the unit alone is measured." (*Elements*, VII, def. 11.)
On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 8:52 PM, Dan Asimov <dasimov@earthlink.net> wrote:
Thanks for the responses!
Allan writes:
<< What a cool word. There are a few Greek words with this stem, which all seem to share a sense of measuring, aligning, or marking out. The feminine noun "stathma" or "stathme" means a carpenter's rule or line; the masculine "stathmos" is an animal's rectangular stall. The verb "stathmao" means "measure by rule." The neuter noun "stathmon" means a weight. I'm not sure if all of these have the same etymological origin.
Interesting. Wow, you know Greek?!
--Dan
_____________________________________________________________________ "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that certain je ne sais quoi." --Peter Schickele
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
_______________________________________________ math-fun mailing list math-fun@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/math-fun
participants (3)
-
Allan Wechsler -
Dan Asimov -
rwg＠sdf.lonestar.org