Page 16 - Boomer Times Magazine September 2020 Issue

A Classical Primer Of Political Word Origins From The September Cover

By Richard Lederer
Election season demonstrates that, although the classical societies FLOWERS SCREAM LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
of ancient Greece and Rome have vanished, Greek and Roman thought By Anita Finley
is very much alive in the parlance of politics.
I love love love flowers...single, in
Taking first things first, we’ll start with the word primary, which bouquets, wildflowers, floral plants
descends from the Latin primus, “first.” Primary, as a shortening of and more. One of my sweetest mem-
“primary election, is first recorded in 1861. In an election we ”pick out” ories was when I was only 12 and my
a candidate whom we wish to vote for. In Latin e means “out” and lectus father graduated from law school and
“pick or choose.” he took me to his graduation party
As the joke goes, the etymology of the word politics derives from and gave me a gardenia corsage.
poly, “many,” and tics, which are blood-sucking parasites. In truth Today, I can’t pass a gardenia bush
politics issues from the Greek word polities, “city, citizen.” Politics may without remembering that fragrance.
make strange bedfellows, but, as we shall see, politics makes for even Just recently, for no reason, one of my
stranger, and sometimes colorful, vocabulary. sons, sent me one dozen long stem
Campaign is very much a fighting word. The Latin campus, “field,” red roses. It was perfect and I enjoyed
is a clue that the first campaigns were conducted on battlefields. the fragrance and the love that came with it.
A military campaign is a series of operations mounted to achieve a If you are on a budget, one rose is enough to share love and friend-
particular wartime objective. A political campaign is an all-out effort to ship. Give and get flowers often and life will be lovelier.
secure the election of a candidate to office. Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League
When he went to the Forum in Roman times, a candidate for office
wore a bleached white toga to symbolize his humility, purity of motive By Anita Finley
and candor. The original Latin root, candidatus, meant “one who wears I LOVE PEGGY ADAMS ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE! They are without
white,” from the belief that white was the color of purity and probity. a doubt the most caring and consuming animal lovers in South Florida.
The vote that we cast is really a “vow” or I have had the most satisfying and beneficial experience with them
“wish.” And this is the precise meaning of since I adopted my dear dog, Jack. He has congestive heart failure, but
they provide medicine for him and even take care of his cardiologist’s
the Latin votum. People in our society who expense and he is dong very well. When I go there for his checkups,
I watch how they treat their animals and it is so heartwarming. They
fail to exercise their democratic right to vote are a limited-admission humane society and provides services to over
on election day are sometimes called idiots. 28,000 cats, dogs, puppies and kittens each year.
There was wishful thinking even in ancient Roman politics, even
though a white-clad Roman candidatus was accompanied by sectatores,
followers who helped him get votes by bargaining and bribery. The
Latin parent verb candere, “to shine, to glow” can be recognized in the
English words candid, candor, candle and incandescent.
We know that candidates are ambitious; it’s also worth knowing that
ambition developed from the Latin ambitionem, “a going about,” from THE
the going about of candidates for office in ancient Rome. PRINTERS
President descends from the Latin praesidio, “preside, sit in front of
or protect.” Presidents sit in the seat of government. When we speak of P L U S !
“the ship of state,” we are being more accurate etymologically than we
know. The Greek word kybernan meant “to direct a ship.” The Romans 2681 West McNab Road • Pompano Beach, FL 33069
borrowed the word as guberno, and ultimately it crossed the English
Channel as governor, originally a steersman or pilot. That’s why the
noun is governor and the adjective gubernatorial.
The story behind the word inaugurate is an intriguing one. It literally
means “to take omens from the flight of birds.” In ancient Rome, augurs
would predict the outcome of an enterprise by the way the birds were
flying. These soothsayer-magicians would tell a general whether or not Beautiful
to march or to do battle by the formations of the birds on the wing. They
might even catch one and cut it open to observe its entrails for omens.
Nowadays, presidential candidates use their inauguration speeches wholesale printing
to take flight on an updraft of words, rather than
birds—and they do often spill their guts for all to to the trade
see.

Dr. Richard Lederer is the author of more than 50
books about language, history and humor, including 2681 West McNab Road • Pompano Beach, FL 33069
his newest books, “A Treasury of Halloween Humor” quotes @ theprintersprinter.com
and “A Treasury of Christmas Humor.” To order signed www.theprintersprinter.com
copies, explore his website, verbivore.com or write him (954) 917-2773
Richard Lederer at richardhlederer@gmail.com.

16 / BoomerTimes & SeniorLife BoomerTimesFL.com SEPTEMBER 2020