Latin in spell words

[Steve Vander Ark]

No: HPFGUIDX 12576

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Jim Flanagan" <jamesf at a...> wrote:
> It's been a long time since I took Latin, but a lot of JKR's 
> incantations don't look quite correct.  Perhaps that's 
intentional.  

You're right here. 

They aren't correct LATIN, no, and some of them aren't Latin at all 
(e.g. serpensortia, alohomora). She borrows Latin words for her 
incantations but she freely changes endings and mixes non-Latin roots 
right in there with the Latin ones. There are no Latin words that 
start with W for example, yet Wingardium is a spell word. The ending 
is clearly intended to look like Latin, but the word "wing" certainly 
isn't a Latin word.


> 
> "expelliarmus" - "armus" = "shoulder" (vulgate and neo-Latin); 
> weapons would be "armamentum"

Yes, it does mean shoulder, but that meaning contributes to it's 
meaning of weapon. My Latin dictionary lists "arma -orum" for weapon. 
JKR just got a bit creative with the endings again.

The following is snipped (by permission) from The Harry Potter 
Lexicon's Encyclopedia of Spells, Charms, and Incantations:

Expelliarmus (ex-pel-ee-AR-mus) 
"Disarming Spell" 
"expelo" L. to drive out + "arma" L. weapon 
Causes opponent's weapon to fly out of their hand. 
Basic defensive spell, taught at the Dueling Club (CS10) used 
frequently thereafter. If the exact nature of the opponent's weapon 
is uncertain, the spell can have unexpected results. If several 
people cast the spell simultaneously, the target may be rendered 
unconscious (PA, GF31, 34) 

Steve Vander Ark
The Harry Potter Lexicon
with the most complete HP spell resources on the planet (and beyond)
http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon