User talk:Stelio

Narwhal mono-dont ...

Hi Stelio, my Greek is fairly sparse, but it occurred to me that the scientific Latin "Monodon monoceros" could perhaps be related to the form μόνο rather than μόνον? Guess it depends on gender and case, so I'm just asking. Otherwise presumably the last letter of μόνον has been elided in the transfer to Latin. All the best, Chiswick Chap (talk) 13:48, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

@Chiswick Chap: Hello! :-) I love a good etymology chat. For specific context here, I'm fluent in Modern Greek (as well as British English) and studied Ancient Greek too (amongst other languages).

μόνο means "only" and doesn't make sense here. It's standard in Greek to drop the case ending when forming a compound word. For example: μόνον ("single", nominative neuter adjective) + κέρας ("horn", nominative neuter noun) = μονόκερως ("unicorn", nominative masculine noun). Essentially, it's formed from μόνο- (as a prefix, clipped from μόνος) rather than from the homophone μόνο. Like in English, we form words using the prefix psycho- for terms relating to the mind or soul, as opposed to the noun psycho (which has derogatory overtones).

For that matter, I suppose I should also change κέρατο to κέρας in the etymology of the Narwhal article, although that's less egregious than using ένα instead of μόνος/η/ον. I'm a little hesitant as that sentence is cited, and my correction might arguably be considered original research. But if the original text says that Monodon monoceros derives from ένα-δόντι ένα-κέρατο then it's just plain wrong; that would be transliterated as Henadon henakerato. -Stelio (talk) 17:37, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

Many thanks. Yes the ena- thingy did look out of place. Does seem we need a source all the same! Chiswick Chap (talk) 17:46, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

@Chiswick Chap: Quite so, quite so. English sources for "one tooth, one horn", but no Greek:

• Sacred and Mythological Animals: A Worldwide Taxonomy
• The Arctic: A guide to coastal wildlife
• Biological Materials of Marine Origin: Vertebrates

Ooh! Here's one with the Greek: An American Dictionary of the English Language. That page lists etymologies (including the Greek) for both monoceros and monodon separately. Will that do, do you think? -Stelio (talk) 18:06, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

Good work, I'll add it now. Chiswick Chap (talk) 19:12, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

Huh. The edit that added the erroneous Greek was not contemporary with that sentence's reference. I'm guessing that perhaps @Wolverine XI: added the Greek based on a direct internet translation? -Stelio (talk) 18:26, 8 March 2024 (UTC)