Etymology-wise, what part of a circle is a beam of
light?
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:
the radius
The straight-line distance from the centre of a circle to
its circumference is called the radius, which means "beam of
light" in Latin.
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)
Feedback
As worded, I think this question is bad. I suggest,
"Etymologically speaking, what part of a circle is a beam of light?" Except in
an etymological sense, no part of a circle is a beam of light.
Good point. I'll change
it.
x-derek-@-westenlaw.com
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Actually, the radius isn't PART of a circle at all, it's a
characteristic of a circle. Perhaps "one radian" would be a more appropriate
answer, since this actually represents PART of a circle.
An analogy: We know that Bob's arm is
part of Bob. But is Bob's height part of Bob? Maybe "aspect" is a better word.
Thus the questions becomes: "Etymology-wise, what aspect of a circle is a ray
of light?"
x-anonymous
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The
wording is a bit tricky since, as you point out, the radius is not part of a
circle in the same way that Bob's arm is a part of Bob.
The latter is a constituent part: if you removed it, part of Bob would be
missing. However, the radius is a mental extrapolation; remove it from the
circle and the circle would still be there.
Now there's
a good piss-you-off moot question for you: Is the circle's radius part
of the circle? That question homes in on the meaning of
part, a word that we all thought we knew the meaning of before
this question.(I would also change "the circle" to "a circle.")
I agree. Done. I'll try your question out at the
next live MooT game we have in Vancouver.
x-jacko-@-lycos.com
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