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Know

Tuesday Etymology Lesson: know

From the Latin gnoscere, and the Greek gno.  You’ll recognize gno from the words gnostic and gnosis, meaning, “knowledge, enlightenment or oneness with god.”

For millennia humans have feared knowledge and advancement as they would the supernatural.  The myth of Prometheus is the perfect example of this.  Prometheus the Titan, chained to a stone to endure physical torture for all eternity, simply for giving mankind the flaming spark of knowledge.  Or the myth of Adam & Eve, cast out from paradise because they dared to eat from the tree of knowledge. 

know 12:16:14
El suplicio de Prometeo (The torture of Promethus), Jean-Louis-Cesar Lair, 1819.

For thousands of years we imprisoned, tortured, and burned the best minds among us for daring to know information about the mysteries of the universe.  Then when we were done murdering them, we elevated them as martyrs, saints, and geniuses, setting them above us and away from us, never accepting that we are all capable of the same knowing, failing to realize the fullest potential of our humanity.  Ignorance is bliss.  This is the greatest tragedy of the human race. 

Posted on by theresourceress

Iridescence

Monday Morning Etymology Lesson: iridescence

Today’s word comes from my friend Noelle, and I chose it because the sun is trying to fight through the clouds, and that might mean we get to witness some iridescence.

Iridescence, first used around 1796, from the Greek: Iris, personification of the rainbow, messenger of the gods, wife to Zeyphrus the West Wind (though she’s known to have had an affair or two with Morpheus, see image), daughter of a sea god named, Thaumus and a cloud nymph named Electra. 

iridescence 11:24:14

In many cultures, rainbows have historically been thought of as signs, a path forward, or a revelation of truth.  To that end, Iris was often shown carrying a pitcher of water from the River Styx, which she used to put those to sleep who would make false oaths.  Added to iris, we have the latin suffix -escent meaning “having a tendency toward.”  Thus, iridescence equates to the quality of an object to have a tendency toward rainbows.