Capricorn 6: A dark ar chway and ten logs at the bottom

T h e w o r d d a r k d e sc e n d s f r o m t h e I n d o - E u r o p e a n ( I E ) r o o t dh er -1 w h i ch m e a n s t o m a k e mu d d y , d a r k n e s s . 1 I t s p a r o n y m s i n c l u d e dre g ( s e d i m e n t i n a l i q u i d ; r e si d u e ; t h e b a s e s t o r le a s t d e s i r a b le p o rt i o n ; a s m a l l a mo u n t ) ,

dri ve l ( t o s l o b b e r , d r o o l ; t o a l l o w t o
t h a t h a s a t r a n q u i l i z i n g e f f e c t ) , t ra c hea ( t he w i n dp i p e ) , tra c h o m a ( a

flow

f r o m t h e m o u t h) , dra b , a t a rac t i c ( o f or r e l a t i n g t o a d r u g o r o t h e r a g e n t c o n t a g i o us d i s e a s e o f t h e c on j u n c t i v a a n d c o r n e a a n d a m a j o r c a u se o f b l i n d n e s s) , a n d t rac h yt e ( a l i g h t - c o l or e d i g n e o u s r o c k ) . T h e w o r d a rchw ay i s a c o mp o u n d. T h e f i r s t h a l f d e s c e n d s f r o m t h e I E r o o t a r ku - w hi c h me a n s b o w a n d a r ro w . 2 I t s p a r on y m s a r e a rro w , a rc ,

a rc h e r , a rb a l es t ( a m e d i e v a l m i s s i le l a u n c h e r ) , a rc hi vo l t ( a d e c o ra t i v e
m o l d i n g c a r r i e d a ro u n d a n a r c he d w a l l o p e n i n g) , a n d a rc u a t e ha v i n g t he f o r m o f a b o w ; c u r v e d ) . T he w o r d w ay d e s ce n d s f r o m t he I E r o o t w egh w h i c h m e a n s t o go , t r a n s p o r t i n a v e h i c l e . 3 A m o n g i t s p a r o n y m s a r e

we e , wa y, wa ne , vogu e , wi ggl e , ve c t o r ( t h e d i r e c t i o n o r co u r s e f o l l o w e d
b y a n a i r p la n e , m i ss i l e , o r t h e l i k e ; a q u a n t i t y p o s s e s s i n g b o t h m a g n i t u d e a n d d i r e c t i o n , r e p r e s e n t e d b y a n a r r ow ) , i n ve i gh, in ve c ti ve , c on ve y ,

c o n vo y , de vi at e , voya ge , en vo y , i n vo i ce , a n d vi a du c t .
T h e n u m b e r t e n d e s c e n d s f r o m t he I E r o o t d e km - w h i c h m e a n s t e n . 4 A m o n g i t s p a r o n ym s a r e a l l n u m b e r s b e t w e e n 1 3 - 1 9 , t he p r e fi x e s de ca a n d de c i -, de c i ma l , de c u p l e , di c ke r, dim e , De c e m be r , do ze n , de n a ry,

di n a r , dea n, a n d dec a de .

1 2 3 4

Watkins, Watkins, Watkins, Watkins,

C. C. C. C.

(2000), (2000), (2000), (2000),

The The The The

American American American American

Heritage Heritage Heritage Heritage

Dictionary Dictionary Dictionary Dictionary

of of of of

Indo Indo Indo Indo

European European European European 1

Roots, Roots, Roots, Roots,

p. 18 p. 5 pp. 95 -6 pp. 15

Starling Hunter 2011

T h e o r i g i n o f t h e wo r d l og i s u n k n o w n . I t i s , h o we v e r , r e la t e d t o t h e O l d N o r s e l a g fe l le d t r e e f r o m t h e st e m l i ggja w h i c h me a n s t o l i e . 5 T h e w o r d b ot t om de s c e n d s f r o m t h e IE r o o t bhu dh - w h i ch m e a n s b o t t o m , b a s e . 6 I t s p a r o n y m s i n c l u d e fo n d ( t he b a c k g r o u n d o f a d e s i gn i n l a ce ) , f o u n d ( t o e s t a b l i s h t h e f o u n da t i o n o r b a s i s o f ; b a s e ) , f o un de r ,

f u n d , f u n da m en t ( a n u n d e r l y i n g t he o re t i c a l b a s i s o r p r i n c i p l e ) f u n du s
( t h e b a se o f a h o l lo w o r g a n o r t h a t p a r t f a r t h e s t f r o m i t s o p e n i n g ) ,

l a t i f u n di u m , a n d pro f o u n d .
TH EMES : T h e f i r s t t h e m e c on c e r n s P O INT ERS . O n e o f t he p a r on y m s o f a rch i s a rro w w h i ch m e a n s a m i s si l e h a v i n g a st r a i g h t t h i n s h a ft w i t h a p o i n t e d h e a d a t on e e n d a n d s o m e t hi n g , s u c h a s a d i r e ct i o n a l s y m b o l, t h a t i s s i mi l a r t o a n a rro w i n f o r m o r f u n c t i o n . 7 O n e o f t h e p a r on y m s o f w ay i s ve ct o r w h i ch m e a n s a q u a n t i t y , s u c h a s v e l o c i t y , c o m p l e t e l y s p e ci f i e d b y a m a gn i t u d e a n d a d i r e c t i o n a n d w h i c h i n m a t h e m a t i c s a n d p h y s i c s i s a l w a y s r e p r e se n t e d b y a r r ow s , a s s h o w n b e l ow a t l e f t . 8 T h e w o r d l og ha s se v e r a l m e a n i n g s d e s c e n d i n g f r o m t w o d i f f e r e n t r o o t s . A m on g t h e fi r s t i s a u s ua l l y l a rg e s e c t i o n o f a t r un k o r l i m b o f a f a l l e n o r f e l le d t r e e . T h e se c o n d se n s e o f t he w o r d i s i n k e e p i n g w i t h t h e MATHEMAT IC S t h e m e : i t i s s h o r t f o r lo g a r i t h m w h i c h i s d e f i n e d b y t h e

A m e ri c a n H e rit a ge D i c t i on a ry o f t h e En gl i s h La n gu a ge ( AH D E L ) a s t h e
p o w e r t o w h i c h a b a s e , s u c h a s 1 0 , m us t b e r a i se d t o p r od u c e a g i v e n n u m b e r. 9 S u r p r i si n g l y , t h e ma t h e m a t i c a l t h e me e v e n e xt e n d s t o t he k e y w o r d bo t t om . R e ca l l t h a t t h i s w o r d d e s c e n d s f r o m t h e I E r o o t b hudh - w h i c h m e a n s b ot t o m, b a s e . A c c o r d i n g l y , ma n y o f i t s p a r o n y ms i n c l u d e t h e w o r d b a s e i n t he i r d e f i n i t i o n s. T h e w o r d b a s e a l so a p p e a r s i n t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f lo ga rit h m s h o w n a b o v e . I n m a t h e ma t i c s b a s e r e f e r s t o t h e n u m b e r t ha t i s r a i se d t o v a r i o u s p o w e r s t o g e n e r a t e t h e p r i n ci p a l
5 6 7 8 9 http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=log Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Roots, p. 13 http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/arrow http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/vector http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/logarithm Starling Hunter 2011 2

c o u n t i n g un i t s o f a n u m b e r s y st e m t h e b a se o f t he d e c i m a l s y s t e m, f o r e x a m p l e , i s 1 0 . 10 T h e m o s t g e n e r a l d e fi n i t i o n o f b a se i s t h e l o w e st o r b o t t o m p a r t . A m on g t h e p a r o n y m s o f d a r k i s t h e w o r d dre gs w h i c h m e a n s t he s m a l l a m o u n t o f l i q u i d a n d s o l i d p i e c e s le f t i n t h e b o t t o m o f a c o n t a i n e r 11 a n d t he b a se s t o r l e a st de s i r a b l e p o r t i on . 12 T h u s , t h i r d t h e m e i s BAS E o r BAS I S . F i n a l l y , t he r e a r e a l s o H E I GHTS o r H IGH PO SIT IONS t h a t c o n t r a st w i t h t h e b ot t om a n d t h e b a s e . S p e c i f i c a l l y , a n o t h e r d e fi n i t i on o f a rch i s c hi e f , p r i n ci p a l a n d mi sc h i e v o u s , r o g u i s h . 13 A n d t h e n t h e r e i s t h e p re f i x a r c h - w h i c h d e s c e n d s f r o m a r khei n- ( t o b e g i n , r u l e , c o mm a n d ) a n d m e a n s c h i e f ; h i g he s t ; m o s t i m p o r t a n t . 14 F u r t h e r e mp h a si z i n g h i g h p o s i t i o n s o f a u t h o ri t y i s dea n , a p a r o n y m o f t e n w h o s e d e f i n i t i o n s include:
an administrative officer in charge of a college, faculty, or division in a university the head of the chapter of canons governing a cathedral or collegiate church a priest appointed to oversee a group of parishe s within a diocese t h e s e n i o r m e m b e r o f a b o d y o r g r o u p . 15

T h e t e r m t a k e s i t s n a m e f r o m t he G r e e k de c a n o s me a n i n g c h i e f o f ten.

10 11 12 13 14 15

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/base http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/dregs http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/dreg http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/arch http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/arch http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/dean Starling Hunter 2011 3