ETYMOLOGY

I have long had a great interest in etymology, i.e. the history of word formation.  Where do we get all these words we use, I have wondered.  I remember a long paper I wrote in college about the etymology of medical terms.  Very interesting subject.  These days, pharmaceutical companies must have a team of linguists determining the crazy new names for their drugs.  

Of course, most words we use in the English language have roots in Latin but many are related to other languages.  The older our language gets, the more diverse are it's roots.

This all leads me to the language of science and a character I recently discovered.  His name is William Whewell.  William graced the United Kingdom from the end of the 18th Century to his death in 1866.  By most accounts, he was a polymath.   A polymath is a person with encyclopedic learning.  A real "know-it-all".  He went to school at Trinity College in England; part of the University of Cambridge.  

Mr. Whewell was gifted with his knowledge of language but he was also a scientist, a theologian, a philosopher, an Anglican priest, a historian, a poet and a mathematician. (Probably not a very good golfer) To support himself, he became Master of Trinity College.  

So what does a guy like this do for the world in his spare time and what brought me to him?  Well, he makes up (coins) words.  That's what he did for many years.  He is credited with coining the word "scientist" and "physicist".  You see, research scientists from around the world would check with him when they had a new discovery.   He would give it a name.  As an example, he coined for Michael Faraday the words ion, electrode, cathode, anode and dielectric.    

There is a lot more I could write about this guy but I think I may have already surpassed the average person's interest limit.  Suffice it to say, this is a very interesting man.  (I always knew there must be someone else besides me who knew it all.)   

😝

Have a great Tuesday!