The word caryatids is to
women as what word is to men?
Etymology, Etymology, and more Etymology
as well as grammar, usage, euphemism, slang, jargon, semantics (meaning), linguistics, neologism, idiom, word origin, syntax, dialect, lexicon (vocabulary), diction, pidgin, synonym, antonym, homonym, cant, argot, lingo, and redundancy.
The critically-acclaimed board game
MooT
consists of tough questions about the nuances of the English language.
Answer:
atlantes
According to The American Heritage Dictionary of
the English Language, standing or kneeling figures of a man used as a
supporting column for an entablature are called atlantes;
whereas supporting columns sculptured in the form of draped female figures are
called caryatids.
The former is a
plural of the name Atlas; the latter derives from the Latin
Carytides, maidens of Caryae, from Greek Karuai, a village in
southern Greece.
[Note: It turns out that there are
actually two answers: atlantes and telamones
; the latter also denotes male figures used as pillars to support an
entablature.]
Please note that these are draft questions for the board game MooT.
If you spot an error or disagree with anything I've said here,
please let me know and I'll fix it.
(the Mootguy)
Copyright 1998-2008 Blair Arts Ltd. All rights reserved.