Etymology

Etymology is the study of the origin of words.  It comes from the Greek ‘etymon’ which means ‘true meaning’ and, ‘logia’ which means ‘word’ or ‘reason’.  Thus, the etymology of etymology.

For reasons I won’t bother to go in to, the other day I looked up the etymology of the word sanctimony. Sanctimony comes from the Latin ‘sanctus’ meaning holy, and ‘monium’ which connotes an obligation, thus ‘sanctus-monium’ literally meant ‘holy-obligation’. In today’s usage, however, someone who is sanctimonious is accused of being hypocritical in a holier-than-thou sort of way. I don’t know when or how the word drifted away from its original literal meaning and took on its contemporary pejorative connotation. I do know, that it’s not nice to be called sanctimonious.

While looking further into the meaning of the root ‘monium’, I discovered that there were at least two similar roots; the Greek root ‘monos’ meaning single, and the Latin root ‘moneo’ meaning speaking out, which left me wondering how the etymologists determined that ‘monium’ was the original root of sanctimonious. The other two would seem just as logical and would loosely translate to holy-one (sanctus-monos) or holy-speaking-out (sanctus-moneo). Confused but curious, I proceeded to further embark on my etymologic journey, delving into words with similar ‘monium’ origins.

Matrimony means the state of being married. Why then is it derived from the Latin root for mother, ‘mater-monium’?  Does etymology confirm that Freud was right and that, Oedipally speaking, we are obliged to marry our mother?  I explored this improbability further and discovered that the ‘mater’ in matrimony probably emphasized the traditional obligation of a married woman to become a mother.

Though ‘pater’ is the opposite of ‘mater’, patrimony is not the opposite of matrimony. Patrimony means the inheritance received through the father’s lineage, but has also come to mean an inheritance from ancestors. In its linguistic origin, marriage was associated with motherhood, but wealth was associated with dad.

Alimony, meaning the legal obligation to support an ex-spouse, derives from ‘alimentum’ which is to say ‘food’ as in the alimentary canal. One is obligated to make sure that the ex-spouse continues to be fed.

Harmony, which seldom happens alongside alimony, appears to not be a ‘monium’, ‘monos’, or ‘moneo’ word.  Instead, it derives from the Greek ‘harmonia’ meaning fastening, joining, or coming together.

Fittingly, there is controversy and debate concerning the origins of the word acrimony.  Some argue that acrimony is derived from the Latin ‘acro-moneo’ and others contend that acrimony is from the Greek ‘kharis-monos’.  Of Latin or Greek origin . . . the acrimonious debate continues.

Testimony, means to provide legal witness.  In this instance, ‘monium’ emphasizes a legal obligation. Its primary root is from the Latin ‘testis’ which means witness but also means testicle.  There are some who claim that, in ancient Rome, legal oaths were taken while grasping the testicles, the Roman equivalent to swearing on the Bible.  As for Roman women and eunuchs, apparently, they had no legal rights.

Ceremony, meaning fanfare, does not appear to have derived from any common Greek or Latin roots.  Instead, it has obscure Etruscan origins.  And so, I end my etymologic musings . . . with just this bit of ceremony.