Avada Kedavra (was Re: Re: A varied post on Latin)

[Susan McGee]

No: HPFGUIDX 3391

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, Ellimist15 at a... wrote:
> Amanda said:
> 
> > I thought Avada Kedavra was intended to be interpreted as the un-
garbled,
> > original form of the standard "magic word" abracadabra. This 
might be a
> > bit of dark humor, that the spell word that the Muggle children 
use in
> > making pretend magic is an echo of the most dangerous curse there 
is in
> > the wizarding world. It could easily have leaked over; if you 
were with
> > your brother in the forest, and disturbed an evil old hermit, and 
he
> > cursed your brother dead, you'd probably remember (albeit in 
garbled form)
> > the words he used. Such situations could easily have happened, as 
various
> > evil wizards went on the rampage (or just got teed off for 
whatever
> > reason). And thus would the garbled form, abracadabra, have 
entered the
> > Muggle folklore.
> >
> > My theory. Thoughts?
> > 
> --Amanda
> 
> The word "Abracadabra" was derived from the Hebrew phrase "abreq ad 
habra", 
> which means "hurl your thunderbolt even unto death". It's kind of a 
stretch, 
> but it may not just be a coincidence that Harry's scar is in the 
shape of a 
> thunderbolt (lightning bolt). Plus, the translation includes 
mention of 
> "death". 
> 
> If you don't buy this theory, then I have another. "Avada" is 
phonetically 
> similar to "evado", which is Latin for "to become". "Kedavra" is 
similar to 
> "cadaver". Hence, Avada Kedavra (evado cadaver) could mean "to 
become a 
> corpse".
> 
> Thoughts?
> 
> Ellie Rosenthal
> http://www.geocities.com/cornishpixie7/harryp/