Felix Felicis, Geoff and Latin grammar - Minor Point

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 129057

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "deborahhbbrd" <hubbada at u...> wrote:
> Geoff wrote:
> <and I snipped>
> given and family names which are derived from something like that 
> are sometimes strange if viewed from a grammatical standpoint.
 
 
> Deborah again:
> 
> So they do an' all, but I've always justified this by assuming that
> since languages change over time when they are used creatively, some
> words (like 'Expelliarmus', which would have driven Cicero into a
> frothy frenzy) have become modified simply because they are used in
> the WW in a way they could never be used in the classroom, or
> presumably the Vatican. 
> 
> That still leaves me convinced that Felix Felicis cannot be human.
> Cannot be a name. Not in the Latin system. ...edited...
> 
> Deborah, infelix atque impatiens

bboyminn:

Interesting discussion, but I think we are all overlooking one very
small but very important point. 

Let's start by assuming that Felix Felicis is the name of a man. It's
not likely that 'Felix Felicis' sprang into being out of nowhere. It's
more likely that the family name 'Felicis' had existed for countless
generation before some misguided mother decided to name her son 'Felix'. 

In all likelihood, from a real world perspective, over the many
generations, the connection between 'Felicis' and Luck or Fortunate
had been lost, so these particular parents many not have realize they
were naming their son 'Luck of the Lucky' or 'Fortune of the
Fortunate' or whatever. 

The name in isolation seems very unlikely, but from a real world
perspective, how many of your parents considered the Latin meaning of
the family last name when choosing your first name. In fact, how many
of you, or people in general, know the Latin meaning of either their
first or last names?

I think the correct perspective is to view 'Felicis' as a very old
family name, and the addition of 'Felix' as a relatively new occurance.

Just one small point.

Steve/bboyminn