These are the etymologies of Andrew Senior. Names have meaning.

Advent and adventure, from the Latin adveníre, ‘to come to’. All journeys have no meaning whatsoever. The meaning comes from the end.

Andrew, from Andreas (Ἀνδρέας). Related to anthropos.

Anthropos (ἄνθρωπος), ‘man’, means “looking upwards”. From the Greek ana- (ἀνα-) ‘upwards’ and tropos (τρόπος) ‘a turn’. Astronomy compels us to turn and look upwards, literally; but we’re not studying the things but their relation. Music and astronomy, a progression upwards... to the invisible reality. The mind of man doesn’t impose order; it abstracts it. Dialectic moves the mind upwards. Poetry unites the passions to the intellect.

Anna (Ἄννα), a Hebrew name which means “grace”.

Apology, Plato’s Apology. Is that where Socrates makes a great speech and tells everyone he is sorry? No, that’s not why it’s called that. It’s from the Greek word apologia (ἀπολογία) ‘an explanation’.

Argue (argúere) and argument (arguméntum). It doesn’t mean “to struggle”. It means “to shed light upon”. It’s related to the name of the Argo. There are four modes of argumentation—four ways of knowing things: 1.) demonstration, which produces scientific knowledge; 2.) dialectic, which concerns theories and probabilities; 3.) rhetoric, the art of persuasion; and 4.) poetry, knowledge through affection, concerned with mysteries, and handed down by tradition.

Argos (Ἄργος), the many-eyed. There’s something about the eye. When you see an object with your eyes, you see it through the medium of light. You can’t see it if there’s no light. And just as we see things through the medium of light, we see the truth through the medium of goodness. The medium of knowing things, of seeing the truth, is goodness.

Ashur or Assur (Ἀσσούρ), the son of Shem, the son of Noah. Father of the Assyrians (Ἀσσύριοι). Ashur is Assyria (Ἀσσυρία).

Auspicious, from the Latin avis spectáre ‘to look at the birds’. It’s straight out of primordial tradition. Signs and omens. It echoes sacred tradition, but is all messed up. Another one is disaster, from aster ‘a star’. Astrology and horoscopes, don’t do it. Not so much because it’s false, but because it is real.

Barbarian, from “ba ba ba ba”, the sound of uncivilized speech. (Not from barba, ‘beard’.) Barbaria versus the civilized world. We have to be civilized, not barbarian.

Britain. Named for Brutus of Troy. There’s a legend and a myth and a history. A fellow named Brutus, a descendent of Aeneas, sailed from Rome to Britain and started a nation. Its capital was Trinovantum (modern day London).

Caesarean section, from the name Caesar. Julius Caesar was born ‘by Caesarean section’ (a cæso matris útero).

Cálculi are ‘pebbles’, because they are ‘of chalks’ (cálcium). These are the black and white pebbles which the Greeks used in order to cast votes. You pile them up, and then ‘you count’ (cálculas) them.

Catharsis (κάθαρσις), ‘a purifying’. Some sort of release of the penned-up conflict, like when a dam bursts.

Centum–satem. Even moderns will admit that there used to be just one language, in that area anyway. Indo-European. The ‘c’ becomes a hard ‘k’ sound in some languages but a soft ‘s’ in others. Do you say “Keltic” or “Seltic”? Basketball fans say “Seltic”, but it’s otherwise “Keltic”.

Christ, from Christus (Χριστός). A title meaning ‘Anointed’.

Clovis, from Chlodovicus.

Cluilius, Gaius Cluilius. I’m just joking, but I think the English translation of that is “Clueless”.

Conversation, from the Latin conversátio ‘a turning around’.

Cosmetics, cosmology, and cosmonaut, from the same root as the word cosmos (κόσμος). It means ‘to ornament’, ‘to make ornate’. The entire universe is God’s ornament.

Crassus, Latin, means ‘fat’.

Croesus (Κροῖσος) of Lydia, 560-547 B.C. He was rich and wealthy, and had lots of gold (χρυσός). He was “rich as Croesus”.

Crux, the story’s crux. All stories begin with a conflict. Towards the end there’s a reversal, the crux. The rise and fall of nations. These are not mere facts of history; they are stories. And all are part of the larger story beginning with the fall of man. Moderns would say that the greatest event was the French Revolution, or maybe the invention of the computer. But we know that the greatest event in human history is the Incarnation and Crucifixion of Our Lord.

Cuneiform (cuneifórmis), Sumerian writing. Means ‘wedge-shaped’ in Latin.

Cursus honórum, Latin. Is it ‘the curse of honor’? No, it means ‘the course of honor’. A social convention of the time. A list of things that you must do in order to be honorable. The goal of the timocrat is honor.

Cyrus (Κῦρος) the Great, 576-530 B.C. Persian king. From the same Indo-European root as the Greek word kyrios (κύριος) ‘lord’. We pronounce it “Sai⁠-⁠rus”, but it could be “Koo⁠-⁠roos” or “Kee⁠-⁠rohs”. Possibly not a name but a title. Some moderns derive it from a different root, “one who dominates”. He was not one of God’s chosen people, but God chose him.

Dictator, a military term. It was a military office in times of necessity. Julius Caesar was appointed dictator for life.

Disaster, from aster ‘a star’. Once upon a time there was an old pagan king who consulted his astrologer every day. One day the astrologer says, “Bad news, my king. The stars tell me, you are to die in three days.” (For he planned to kill the king.) On the third day the king calls him in one last time and asks him, “When will you die?” The astrologer (checking the horoscope) says, “Me? Not for another twenty years.” So the king cuts the astrologer’s head off.

Dóminus, Latin, ‘a lord’. The lord (dóminus) is head of the household (domus).

Education, “a drawing out”. Not everybody can be in the NFL. Not everyone can be a brain surgeon. A non-artist cannot be an artist. You are what you are. Education doesn’t make you to be something you aren’t. It’s not about instilling technique. It’s about aptitude, which can be brought out and refined through education, but not created. A thing shall stay what it is.

Elementary. Elementary education is elemental, “upon which everything else will be built”.

Emotions. They’re called emotions, because they “move” you. And passions, because you “suffer” them. Moderns think, “Eat, drink, and be merry”, or the Puritan approach, to wipe them all out. St. Thomas says there’s a time and a place for them. Look at the modern world, how many people are treated for anger management and depression. Medication and group therapy. They don’t know how to deal with passion. They don’t know to fill the mind with poetry.

Eneti, from Veneti, the ‘Venetians’.

Essay, from the French essai. It means ‘a trial’, from the verb “to try”.

Evidence (evidéntia), from vidére ‘to see’.

Family (família), from fámulus. A group of people bound by some relation of servitude (famulítium).

Fámulus, Latin, means ‘a servant’. “It’s a much more familiar word.” When we moderns hear servus, we think of slavery and servitude. Abject slavery. But Odysseus’ slave Eummaeus was part of the family. He loves his master. It’s not like the modern idea of slavery. Hierarchy and submission are natural. Look at the angels. What if a lower angel were to say, “It’s not fair! I want to be a cherubim!”? (One even said, “I’ll be God!”) We can’t ignore nature or our end.

Génius loci, Latin. ‘The spirit of the place.’ There is a connection between a people and its place. Shakespeare is tied to the English countryside. France is located in France. You can’t just transplant the kingdom and have France be some place else. I was talking about primordial tradition, oral tradition. The characteristics of the people who wrote it are important, as well as their physical location.

Gymnosophists (γυμνοσοφισταί), from gymnos (γυμνός) ‘naked’ and sophists (σοφισταί) ‘teachers of wisdom’.

Hammurabi. Lived in Babylon. He’s famous. What’s he famous for? “He had a hammer and...?” No. He’s famous for his code.

Hannah, the Hebrew name Ḥannah (חַנָּה). Means “grace”, from a root which means ‘grace’.

Hannibal, a Punic name which means the “grace of Baal”. (That first part is related to Hannah.)

Jupiter, the Roman name for ‘father Zeus’ (Ζεύς πατήρ). From the Indo-European name Dyḗws ph₂tḗr “God the Father” (cf. Latin Deus Pater). The Protestant creationist Bill Cooper, however, links Jupiter with the titan Japetos (Ἰαπετός), taking both as corruptions of Japheth (יֶפֶת) the son of Noah. The historical Japheth becomes the mythical Jove (Jovis)—the young (júvenis) son of the new, new god. The deification of ancestors.

Kyrios (κύριος) means ‘lord’, as in the Kyrie that we sing at Mass. From the same Indo-European root as the name Cyrus (Κῦρος).

Leicester, from Saxon Leirchestre, British Kaerleir, the ‘town of Leir’. Named for King Leir its founder. (King Leir is Shakespeare’s King Lear. He has three daughters: Cordelia, Regan, and Goneril.)

London, from British Kaerlud, the ‘town of Lud’. Named for King Lud who fortified the city. Its older name was Trinovantum.

Louis, from Ludovicus, from Chlodovicus.

Loxias (Λοξίας), one of Apollo’s titles. From logos (λόγος) ‘word’. It’s Apollo’s word. Apollo tells Orestes what he needs to do.

Lupe, a Spanish name. From Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady’s vestments are covered in constellations, and she has reflections in her eyes.

Marathon, from the battle of Marathon (Μαραθών). One of the greatest surprises in history. (I once had a teacher who said, “That’s the first law of history: surprise.”) There was a guy who ran back and forth. His name was Pheidippides.

Mausoleum, named after the Tomb of King Mausolus (Μαύσωλος), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Mercedes, a Spanish name. From Our Lady of Ransom (Spanish Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes). Feast day, September 24th.

Music (μουσική) and museum (μουσεῖον), and amusement. Named for the Muse (Μοῦσα). The Odyssey begins with an invocation of the Muses. The ancients acknowledged the divine. There has never been a people who were not spiritual until the modern atheists. Even the degraded pagans were aware of the involvement of the supernatural in our lives. The ancients understood the existence of the supernatural, but in a shadowy and incomplete manner.

Music, mute, mystery, and mystical are all from the same root, which means ‘silence’. The mystery of the Eucharist. The pagans said, “You can’t eat God.” It’s the mystery. It drew them to the Church, because they were fascinated by it. The more they made fun of it, the more they were fascinated. The more they wondered. Wonder is a species of fear. Reverential fear, the “beginning of wisdom”. Poetry is about mysteries—the mysteries of higher things.

Myth. Moderns will say it’s just foolishness made up by a stupid and primitive people who were afraid of lightning and thunder and the forces of nature. “They made up gods to explain everything.” (They’ll ridicule creation, yet they have their own creation “myths”. Like evolution—from protons to physics professors.) Myth does not mean “falsehood” but “mystery”. Mythology, from mythos (μῦθος), ‘a mystery’ (μυστήριον). It’s not all based on a falsehood.

Obscene, from the Latin ob scena. It means ‘off the scene’, “off-stage”. That’s what it originally meant.

Passions. The concupiscible passions are six in number: 1.) love and 2.) hate, 3.) attraction and 4.) aversion, 5.) joy and 6.) sadness. When the concupiscible are irritated, the irascible take over. The irascible passions are five: 1.) hope and 2.) despair, 3.) courage and 4.) fear, and 5.) anger. You then return to the concupiscible. You rest in the presence of good, or sulk in the presence of evil.

Pharaoh (Φαραώ). The absolute ruler of Egypt. Not elected but divine. His name means “light” (φάος), “shining light” (φάος φαῖνον). For in the Egyptian tongue the name Pharaoh (Per āa) means “the sun” (pa rā), and Pharaoh was named “[the] son [of the] sun” (sa rā).

Pharos (Φάρος). The lighthouse at Alexandria. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It means “light bearer” (φαοσφόρος) or something.

Philosopher (φιλόσοφος), ‘a lover’ (φίλος) of ‘wisdom’ (σοφία). Pythagoras said, “We don’t have wisdom.” (Only the gods have wisdom.) “We are lovers of wisdom.” Philosophers.

Pilar, a Spanish name. From Our Lady of the Pillar.

Pontiff, from Latin póntifex ‘bridge maker’. Darius builds a bridge of boats and takes Macedonia. Xerxes builds a bridge across the Hellespont, but a great storm comes and knocks it down overnight. He then builds the second bridge. Julius Caesar is the first Roman to build a bridge across the Rhine. He builds it in two or three days, marches across, then comes back and burns the bridge. The póntifex máximus was the highest office in the Roman state religion.

Pro forma. It’s what people do; it’s a “formality”.

Probable and provable, from probáre ‘to prove’. Dialectic knowledge pertains to probabilities which are not absolutely certain. Things known through dialectic are subject to change. (Plato speaks also of “the appalling harm done by dialectic”. Argument leading to more argument, not conclusion. People studying logic but ignoring common sense. And somebody could give you a completely logical argument, but it will still be wrong.)

Punics (Púnici), inhabitants of Carthage. From the word Phœnícii, the ‘Phoenicians’. (For Carthage was a Phoenician colony.) Some moderns rather derive it from puníre ‘to punish’. Yeah, right.

Pythian and Pythius (Πύθιος), one of Apollo’s titles. And Pythia (Πυθία) refers to the Oracle at Delphi. From the name of the snake monster Python (Πύθων) who dwelt at Delphi, whom Apollo slew, taking its name as his own, and so his Oracle is also called Pythia. No doubt you see the word “python” in there, do you? Those pagans were all about snake worship.

Rex Francórum. Not ‘king’ (rex) ‘of the Franks’ (Francórum), but “leader”, recruited by the Romans from the Franks. Rex is a military term. It refers to one who holds authority over the regiment. [Editor’s note: This etymology looks to be completely wrong. Rex Francórum does in fact mean ‘king of the Franks’, and, as far as I know, rex never really meant anything other than ‘king’.]

Salamis, the battle of Salamis. You can remember it by a salami sandwich. Naval battle. The Persians are expected to win. But the Persians are wiped out, or at least injured, by the Greeks. Just like the destruction of the Spanish Armada by the British.

Science (scientia), from scire ‘to know’. Science is knowledge that can be demonstrated. It’s absolutely certain, cause and effect from first principles. Theology is a science. Medicine and cosmology are mostly theory, not science.

Serf, from Latin servus. As the Roman Empire transitions to feudalism, the old Roman servus slowly becomes the medieval serf.

Servus, Latin, means ‘a slave’ or ‘servant’. Moderns say that freedom is the greatest thing ever. They say that servitude is wrong, because of the inequality. But that simply isn’t true. The king’s son Eummaeus was captured and taken as a slave. “The gods arranged it for some reason, and here I am.” He accepts his state of life; he embraces servitude. If there’s one thing that needs to be restored, it’s the proper state of servitude. There’s joy in servitude.

-stan (in the names of countries such as Afghanistan). An ending which means ‘place’. Or ‘state’. It’s from Indo-European, so it’s gotta be related to the word state.

State, from Latin status. It means “stable”, a state of stability.

Sumeria or Sumer. The first civilization. Lasted about a thousand years. Ziggurats and irrigation systems, and cuneiform. And in a dry climate, when you evaporate water, it cools the air. The ancients knew this too. They were not primitive; they were advanced. So they probably even had air conditioning, like we do... in the summer. “Start with summer. You do not start with spring.” Now that’s a mnemonic device.

Teste David cum Sibýlla. ‘The witness David, with the Sibyl.’ These pagan oracles were devils, and the prophecies came from devils. But the devil can only do what God lets him do, and we know that God’s providence allows evil for a greater good. The Greeks and the Romans were providentially prepared, so Our Lord came to them. “To you, O Romans, I set no boundary in time or space.” The legions marched for Caesar—to prepare a place for Christ.

Theater (θέατρον), from the same root as theory.

Theory (θεωρία) means “to see what’s going on”. From thea (θέα) ‘a view’ and oraein (ὁράειν) ‘to look’. Theory isn’t science, it’s dialectic. It’s like the graph of y = 1 ⁄ x from math class. You can get really close to the truth but you will never reach it.

Tradition means “to hand on”. Oral tradition is poetic, handed down through the collective memory of a people. It lives by speech and in music. Two great streams of tradition come down to us from Eden, sacred tradition and primordial tradition. Sacred tradition is that small stream of pure clear water, divinely preserved from error. Primordial tradition is everything else, a great rolling muddy river filled with truths, half-truths, and pagan superstition.

Transhumanism. Notice how these gods are all depicted as part human and part animal? Some moderns (especially the ones who believe in aliens) support transhumanism. They want to transplant animal parts into humans so that a person can have enhanced eyesight, by literally having “eagle eyes”, thereby transcending his own nature. Hideous gods, part animal and part man. And it’s coming back through genetic engineering.

Trinovantum, the name given to London by its founder Brutus of Troy. From Troja Nova ‘New Troy’.

Ubi amor ibi óculus. ‘Where there is love, there is an eye.’ Love is blind. Only the lover sees what’s really there.

Venice, from Véneti, the ‘Venetians’.

Xanthippe (Ξανθίππη), Socrates’ wife. And Xanthippus (Ξάνθιππος), Pericles’ father. Means “yellow horse”, from xanthos (ξανθός) ‘yellow’ and hippos (ἵππος) ‘horse’.

York, from its Latin name Eboracum, named after its founder King Ebraucus. Pronounced poorly over a few centuries, and changing from Latin to British, the name becomes York.

Zeus (Ζεύς), the name of the sky father, from Indo-European dyḗws ‘sky’ or ‘God’. The son of Cronus, son of Uranus, according to the Greeks. But the Persians gave this name to the whole of the firmament. While the Greek gods act like a bunch of third-generation spoiled adolescents, the Persians called the whole thing Zeus; and they made no image of their gods.