[HPforGrownups] Re: Latin

[Jen Faulkner]

No: HPFGUIDX 12637

On Sun, 18 Feb 2001, Steve Vander Ark wrote:

> Ah, but almost all of these have Latin roots. Some aren't obvious and 
> some are mixed up with non-Latin words too. 

Indeed, but having a recognizable Latin root doesn't make them "real"
Latin, since the forms aren't correct, which was all I was really trying
to say about them.  The vast majority of the spells are Latinate,
certainly, but not Latin.

> Ennervate comes from the Latin root "en-" which means to give or 
> enable, added to the word "nervus" which gained the meaning of action 
> or courage in the 1500's.

I don't think this is quite right.  There is no Latin prefix 'en-';
words beginning with 'en-' in English either are borrowings from OF, in
which case the Latin prefix 'in-' had already undergone a sound change,
or a formation in English using the prefix 'en-' which became productive
in English.  (There is, however, a Greek prefix en-, which is also
etymologically cognate to L. in-.)  'Ennervate' seems to be a
mis-application of this English prefix, equivalent to 'innervate',
meaning something like 'put vigor in'.  'Nervus' always had the
transferred sense of 'strength, vigor' as well as the basic meaning
'tendon, sinew'; it didn't need to acquire it later.  Those transferred
meanings are in the same semantic range as the meaning 'manhood' (in all
the senses in which that word can be used in English), whence the verb
'enervare', 'to weaken, unman' -- to take out the strength from or
emasculate (i.e., castrate).  There is no verb 'innervare' in Latin, but
it would be the opposite of 'enervare' -- had it existed and come to
English through Old French, we'd get 'ennervate(d)'.

> And "peskipiksi pesternomi" isn't a real spell. It means "pesky 
> pixie, pester no me." Lockhart is faking it and not doing a very good 
> job of it. 

Exactly.  Really not Latin -- makes you wonder, in fact, why the other
completely unLatin spells (Lupin's waddiwasi, for example), work at
all.  But clearly they do, as 'avada kedavra' amply demonstrates.  (Of
course, avada kedavra is somewhat anomalous anyway.)

--jen :)

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