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)
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