Word of the Day: Consanguinity
Well, it's been a long time since we had a Word of the Day; I think the last one was 'disgruntle', and that was months ago!
Today's word is an interesting one, again not because of its rarity but because of its unusual antecedents and eventual accepted meaning. 'Consanguinity' comes from Latin con- + sanguinis, meaning something like 'together (in/with)' + '(the) blood'. Modern science has driven the meaning inexorably towards the sense of genetic sharing of the same bloodline, and often confines it to the genetic relationship between first cousins. Traditionally, people who are of that relationship or closer should not be producing offspring together, hence the test of consanguinity in mediaeval times.
However, a closer reading of the Latin sanguinis does seem to allow for 'blood' to be interpreted in a more symbolic way, as in the idea of bloody-mindedness, of a passion for life, and a generally positive outlook. It is plausible to interpret the 14th-century formation consanguineus, used originally by the Church, in a different way (although not an orthodox one, I fear). You might say it could describe someone who does things 'with the blood'; that is to say, with passion and a positive attitude. In a negative sense, you could say it means 'with bloody-mindedness'. And in a modern 'Gothic' sense, you could say that two people who are 'consanguineous' are vampires with the same origin.
The way the modern world uses information (my theme in many of the last few posts) ensures that language develops shades of meaning much faster than it would otherwise do. This enhances the merry confusion that is English, literally a fusion of many other languages brought together in an intimate shindig.
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In nominally unrelated news, my closest female relative celebrates her birthday today... happy birthday, mother! *grin*
Today's word is an interesting one, again not because of its rarity but because of its unusual antecedents and eventual accepted meaning. 'Consanguinity' comes from Latin con- + sanguinis, meaning something like 'together (in/with)' + '(the) blood'. Modern science has driven the meaning inexorably towards the sense of genetic sharing of the same bloodline, and often confines it to the genetic relationship between first cousins. Traditionally, people who are of that relationship or closer should not be producing offspring together, hence the test of consanguinity in mediaeval times.
However, a closer reading of the Latin sanguinis does seem to allow for 'blood' to be interpreted in a more symbolic way, as in the idea of bloody-mindedness, of a passion for life, and a generally positive outlook. It is plausible to interpret the 14th-century formation consanguineus, used originally by the Church, in a different way (although not an orthodox one, I fear). You might say it could describe someone who does things 'with the blood'; that is to say, with passion and a positive attitude. In a negative sense, you could say it means 'with bloody-mindedness'. And in a modern 'Gothic' sense, you could say that two people who are 'consanguineous' are vampires with the same origin.
The way the modern world uses information (my theme in many of the last few posts) ensures that language develops shades of meaning much faster than it would otherwise do. This enhances the merry confusion that is English, literally a fusion of many other languages brought together in an intimate shindig.
=====
In nominally unrelated news, my closest female relative celebrates her birthday today... happy birthday, mother! *grin*
etched with acid at 7:00:00 pm
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