250
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
250 points (99.2% liked)
Ask Lemmy
25242 readers
1409 users here now
A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions
Rules: (interactive)
1) Be nice and; have fun
Doxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them
2) All posts must end with a '?'
This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?
3) No spam
Please do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.
4) NSFW is okay, within reason
Just remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com.
NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].
5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions.
If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.
Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.
Partnered Communities:
Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
Not that person but I always enjoyed helicopter, because it's broken down into helico and pter
Helico means spinning and pter means pter
Maybe you were just deliberately baiting for this, but no!
Helicopter's etymology actually breaks down into helico and pter. Helico being cognate with helix, and pter being "flying", from the same root as pterodactyl (flying finger).
Great, and now I want a heliodactyl.
etymology jokes on Lemmy.... ive Waited for this day for so long
Super interesting.
Does that mean that we're pronouncing either helicopter or pterodactyl wrong? We don't say the 'pter' parts the same way I think?
nah there's no "wrong" for a common native pronunciation. but for silent p- words specifically, the /pt/ and /ps/ consonant clusters just don't occur at the start of words in English. so the p goes silent in those words. pterodactyl, psychology. but in languages like Greek and German they do occur!
Depends on whether the o is before the p or after the r.
I thought heli is more like a screw. (Not claiming that it is, but that was my understanding)
The dictionary definition is "Anything twisted, winding, or spiral." but an inference can be made
The word is not "heli" though. It's "helico".
Like in the helicoprion (a shark with a spiral think on it's mouth) or a helicograph (a tool to draw spirals).
Or, y'know, a helix.
Yes, that is where it comes from.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/helico
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/helico-
Doesn't change the fact that the word helicopter splits into "helico" and "pter" with the later meaning wing or feather in greek.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pter-
It's a helico-pter "spiraling wing", not a heli-copter.
TIL
Pterodactyl - Pter Finger!
Then there's choleodoptera and lepidoptera.
What about "ligma"?