No, not entomology the study of insects. Etymology is the study of the true meaning of words. To see what the word was created to represent. Words are created with a purpose to express meaning about something. Words are imbued with a meaning. Words symbols are created to reflect and represent aspects of being in reality, or something we imagine in our minds.
Power of Words (source unknown)
Word symbols are important. They are used to represent, reference and correspond to something. We can invent words to reference something real that actually exists in objective existence, but also something imagined that only "exists" in our subjective consciousness. Just because something can be imagined in the "light" of our mind's eye, does not necessarily mean it exists in the light of reality. Perception is not de facto reality. Perception in consciousness does not dictate an automatic reference for existence in reality.
To know the meaning of a word is to know what it represents in reality. Abstract language is mostly arbitrary at first, but not the meaning once a definition has been applied to a word symbol. We could name any part of reality anything we want, but we would be essentially creating a new language. Existing languages already have definition with meaning imbued into it, we can’t simply redefine words at our whim to change their meaning. Attempts to do so create confusion with the use of the same term to represent reality differently. If you can alter the meaning of words for people to accept, by influencing their consciousness, then you can alter their perception of consciousness. This is the power and magic of word symbols.
The etymology of etymology:
from Greek etymologia “analysis of a word to find its true origin,” properly “study of the true sense (of a word),” with –logia “study of, a speaking of” + etymon “true sense,” neuter of etymos “true, real, actual,” related to eteos “true”.
Magician (source unknown)
Words, symbols and language are “magical arts” in a sense, because they can lead to greater freedom and comprehension of reality. They can also be twisted and altered to suit a "sorcerer" mindset who can manipulate our perception and understanding of reality to keep us enslaved in false constructs and beliefs.
Think of all the fantasy fiction in movies and books; the magic was often done with spells and words they spoke. The "sorcerer" people use the magic to manipulate and control others for their own gains, while the wizard good magicians used their power for good.
Etymology reveals the true meaning of words. Words reflect something we are trying to communicate about. We use many words, and sometimes their true nature has become hidden from us. We think "anarchy" means chaos, when it's truly the representation of freedom from rulers or masters where there are no slaves. Similarly, the word "occult" has been given negative connotations like evil, dark, dangerous, etc., when it only means hidden or secret. Using either of those words in altered way, or the original way, will create a different perception of reality. The positive use of the word also gets erased and it's true meaning forgotten. Perceptions of reality can be obfuscated or distorted with the use of words.
Trivium Method
Speech represents words that represent meaning. Ancient Egypt/Kemet had a term for magical or meaningful speech, "heka". Speech is the "Art of Mouth", whether it to be true of voice (maa kheru), or a silver tongue, the art can be used for right or wrong. The trivium method's rhetoric is the Art of Communication, which comes after the Art of Inventing and Combining Symbols (grammar) and the Art of Thinking (logic).
Why the mouth and speech as magic?
Heka (source unknown)
Heka was foundation concept and also personified as a god in Kemetian creation mythopoetic narratives. Heka represents the power of speech to change and alter the world around us through the influence and affect that word symbols have on consciousness. We make decisions and act based on the information we have, true or false. Our actions create the human world, which come from our consciousness that drives and motivates such actions. Heka is a "magical" power potential in all higher consciousness beings that can use the art of mouth to influence others.
There are many ideas that are sold where people buy into them and live accordingly. These are spells, invocations, conjurings, that are injected into consciousness through the simplicity of being heard and listened to. This is magic of the highest kind, imperceptible, hidden, mysterious, unless you know how to see and hear what is being done to you.
Influence (source unknown)
The magic of word symbols, "magical phrases" or buzz words, can be used as opiates to fearful masses. Make people "feel-good", love-bomb them, and you can more easily gain their trust, loyalty, faith and belief in you as someone to listen to and follow in life. "Spiritual" gurus have this effect on people, whether intended or not. This is what politicians do with their sophistry and rhetoric to lie and manipulate people's consciousness into certain behaviors. The entertainment industry, television, "gurus", politicians, priests, and more, can all amaze, mesmerize, hypnotize, induce, summon and invoke beliefs and altered states of consciousness to entrain us into specific modalities of living.
Everything you hear and see, from other people speaking, what they do, the media, and everything else in your socio-environmental scope of perception, is affecting you from the day you are born until the day you die, and it all shapes you into who you are and who you become. Knowing what words mean is important.
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”
– Ludwig Wittgenstein
Incantation (source unknown)
Consciousness is powerful. Words are powerful. Spells cast on consciousness (thoughts and emotions, “mind and “heart”) are powerful mind-, thought- and emotional-control. With the magic of spells (words) and the science of imagery (symbolism), you can get people to accept falsity as truth. You can get people to accept beliefs that will change their behavior and actions to what you want them to do. This is to bend the will of others to your will (sorcery). Word symbol magic and their "spells" are a powerful and can manipulate our lives and steer us in certain directions, path and ways of living.
It sounds like fictional magic and fantasy, but it's all done with the power of consciousness and symbols. Etymology gives us the power to be masters of the name, to know the true name, meaning and definition for an aspect of reality is to be master of it, and not be a mere subject to it under its power as a spell cast on us.
Thank you for your time and attention! I appreciate the knowledge reaching more people. Take care. Peace.
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Uncovering the layers of the underlying root of a word is very interesting, seeing different words with completely different meanings that have the same Latin word origin. It opens the door to share thoughts and ideas in a much more accurate and descriptive manner.
Indeed, it adds symbolic power and imagery to our ability to describe things. Thanks for the feedback, great description.
Very well written and presented. I am more and more impressed with the quality of the posts on Steemit. We have some of the brightest people around. Creative, intelligent, thoughtful. Steemit is a treasure trove.
I was just discussing with someone this morning something very closely related to your post. The Whorfian hypothesis.. the relationship between linguistics, thought and culture.
The Biblical teaching... In the beginning there was the Word and the Word was God. Takes on a new depth of interest.
Indeed, I did a post on Logos and the Word symbolism as part of a 10 post series on the power of consciousness and word symbols' effect on us. Thanks for the feedback!
I'm looking forward to your posts.
It's actually the study of the origin and changing meaning of words.
It's interesting that you quote Wittgenstein when a core point of his was that that meaning is use in Philosophical Investigations, which is a position contradictory to your own.
The root of words is really important and but I think it says more as a historical or anthropological study than as anything approaching "truth".
In terms of fantasy, have you read A Wizard of Earth-Sea? I was always fascinated by the magic system there where learning the true name of things was the way to gain power over the thing, be it animal, object or person. To that end wizards hide their true names from other wizard, because if they are in battle and their opponent finds their name out, it's basically over for them.
But only in fantasy do we find that words are "true words" in any sense.
The definition may be complex indeed, we don't write down elaborate descriptions of everything in defining them. The words are still created with a purpose to provide meaning to sounds used to communicate about something. I use the quote to convey that language is important to convey meaning, whether you need to define it 100% fully in writing, verbally, or not, there needs to be a specific meaning applied that gives the word purpose to be used. Maybe I should stop using it, thanks for that ;)
Etymology is about tracing meaning in history, yes, to understand the true meaning of the word, as it was created with purpose to convey meaning. Preferably to it's origin. It's the true intended purpose that a word was created fro to convey meaning. It's arbitrary and can be anything written or sounded, but once imbued with meaning, it can have more added and shift, as long as it gets adopted through being pointed out what it means in reference to something. The etymology of etymology tells you what the study is intended to bring forth: the true meaning of words. Not "the Truth" or whatever hehe.
Sweet, you know Earthsea more than me hehe! Not the book for me. I saw a movie in 2004 and that symbolism had provided metaphorical imagery for how I understand language. That's not where "true words" come from. I didn't say that either. Look at the etymology of etymology "study of the true sense (of a word)". Maybe because I said "meaning" instead of "sense" that is the issue? The sense of a word is the meaning of the word, the meaning being conveyed about something through that word. And then it becomes "true words" for you, with "meaning" implied? Well like I said, origin is the birth of it, as created by anyone, but once it's created it has meaning. Imagine just deciding to change the meaning of words as you wish how that would work out? If everyone agreed to it, ok.
The point is that we have meaning applied to words, and they don't just mean anything, and when they mean more than one thing it can get confusing in certain contexts, so it's best to keep meanings that apply in different contexts to not be too dissimilar. Some languages have many more words to that each representation has it's own reference, of they try to anyways. Hindu-script or similar based language, I forget. Words are created to reflect something. A "true word" is one that reflects something accurately I guess. Like in occult, the true meaning is hidden, while the false alternate is to view it as evil, dark, etc. It takes away the power of using the word, or reading about it. The altered meaning is false because instead of conveying the original meaning, it keeps people away from knowing it. There is also an emotional effect of avoiding things that are allegedly occult or use the word occult when it's believed to be evil, dark, etc.
Thanks for the feedback, but I think we're misunderstanding each other based on semantic misunderstandings, which is about defining our terms. I think I cleared up most of it... tried to explain it anyways hehe.
Perhaps there is some misunderstanding, but I'm pretty sure we're oppositional as I assert that knowing the origin of a word, the original meaning, does not necessarily mean you know what the word "really" means. Further, there is nothing that a word "really" means beyond what you and everyone else collectively understands it to be. A logical conclusion of this is that an old meaning of a word, perhaps it's actual root, could potentially be lost to the sands of time without diminishing it's usage today (though there would be a historical loss of course).
This does happen. But you're right, you need tacit agreement of the actual speakers of the language.
I've always found it funny that there exists several institutions who take the authority of deciding what is and isn't a word and what it's meaning is. The most outrageous example is always the Académie française. They are bold enough to call their members, "The Immortals". 😱 😂 This signifies to me the audacity of the enterprise of controlling the natural flow of language. It can be done, but only under the most grandiose of projects.
More languages, and indeed much of spoken French, is not governed in any way but by the shared meaning and cultural context of the users (I say users here to extend speakers to writers, etc.). As this context changes, the language changes too. You can easily find words which have completely changed meaning, even reversed meaning over time.
That said I do not wish to be a total relativist here. It's not completely arbitrary because part of the context of language (perhaps the largest part) is what we learn and what told things mean. Perhaps the most interesting thing here though is that meaning is not strictly explicit and much is implied by actual usage, not only "book learning" or whatever formal, rigid education we undergo.
Anyway I'm going on a bit here 😅 But you get my point.
On Earth-Sea, you should read it if you have the time, the trilogy is really fantastically written by a great master of not only fantasy but scifi too. As is often the case, the book is much much much better than the movie 😜
Thanks for taking the time to respond.
LOL, the immortals. Well, "fake news" popped up, and "post-truth" went into the dictionary... so the hype and popularity can get new words added, or add meaning or change meaning to old words. But indeed, there are only a few keeper of definition like merriam-webster, oxford, etc.
I have found etymology to uncover more meaning and oppositional meaning in some cases, but also saw how it could be reflected in reality in that dual way.
It definitely starts implied or pointed to (ostensible) so that we at least know what the hell a sound means in relation to reality hehe. Dada is not mama hehe. Then abstraction and further development help. I learned most of my vocabulary by reading books though, not structured formal education which I hardly learned anything about what I now know. To get a better vocabulary, sometimes the environment of society isn't providing it, so we need to develop more on our own, and books help. I know you meant the crap in school though, and I agree hehe.
Indeed, etymology is interesting and reading is the best way to expand ones vocabulary. It's a floccinaucinihilipilification though if people don't know what you're talking about, you just come across as inaniloquent 😜
I just discovered the so-called etymological fallacy:
I wish I had discovered it sooner because I think it applies well to your argument here.
I know. Go look at the word oxygen. The word has a root that doesn't apply. There are a few like this. Does that mean I can't go look at the word compassion, sympathy and empathy and understand them more, by looking at the origin to understand it's true meaning? No... because I did, and wrote posts about it. Looking at the dictionary would not have provided the depth of understanding the word. I have written several posts in the past that are like weaving a story of meaning based on the etymology of the word I uncover and wrote about. It's too bad you don't want to understand what I'm talking about. You need to engage in the etymological discovery I suppose, I dunno... Have a good one.
That's a misrepresentation of my intentions, I spend far too much time trying to understand what you're talking about 🙃 You've done that before and it's not quite fair.
I know this fallacy doesn't go very far but it challenges your primary argument, that through etomology we can gain an insight into the "true" meaning of a word. This is a further point to show there is no such thing.
What I meant was, yes you read what I'm trying to say, but it only goes so far if you're trying to prove how false it is without even going to discover how etymology can provide greater insight into a word. You have to understand how it works by actually doing it, not reading me talk about etymology as an abstraction apart from an example. It starts with asking about what one word means, and then finding more words to link and create a canvas about how they are used to reference reality. I did it with words like analogy, balance, and then with wisdom and more. It develops.
So if you want to understand it then you have to engage in the process. It requires expanding imagery and symbolic correspondence. I know some hard left-brain intellectuals can't do it, so maybe you can't understand what I'm talking about. I probably wouldn't have years ago until my thinking became less rigid. You're still saying how the "true meaning" of words isn't found in etymology? It's just whatever the current convention thinks and says it is?
Not so. I've spent my time trying to show the counter position to yours is very strong, stronger I believe. But I said from the start that etymology can of course provide greater insight (into history or anthropology for example), just not into any essential (i.e. true) meaning. My contribution here is primarily a counter argument.
You'd do well to assume less about me, my experience and my brain! If I was easily insulted I'd think you were aim at that on purpose...
Since we're talking about it again, let me be specific on where I disagree with you. Some reiteration is unavoidable.
This is a particular bugbear of mine actually! You're missing some nuance here though. There is no "true" meaning and etymology does not help you discover it. Some people use anarchy to mean chaos. Some people use it to refer to a political ideology which is not chaotic. There is a dispute about this and the meaning of the word has power, because when someone hears about anarchists at a demonstration or whatever, they understand this to mean chaotic nihilists.
This does not mean one meaning is truer than the other, it means we have a dispute on the meaning, and in this case it's very political. It is in fact political real estate, which is something you're getting at in your original post.
The safest course of action is to choose the most original meaning one can find, but that will not stop others from using a more contemporary meaning. It's why I often start out arguments by defining terms of importance if I think it's necessary, or define them along the way before using them. Anarchy would be such a term, but for example I'd presume people know what I mean (I, specifically mean) by the word "forgotten" though.
Yes, in the sense that it's context based, and if the same context is not shared it's possible to have a discord. Usage is meaning.
Words are powerful. What we say to ourselves and others matters.
Indeed it does.
That seemingly unimportant childs rhyme "Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me" is dangerously untrue. Words can leave damage that lasts a lifetime.
Words are powerful.
Indeed, words are. People have underestimated the influence of words and symbols to their detriment. Thanks for the feedback.
This thread takes me back to my college days. After college (1980-1984), it became increasingly difficult for me to find people who enjoy thinking and TALKING like this. Who mentions Wittgenstein in conversation (except me)? People of steemit! Yay! I may have found a home!
The pen can be a sword, and so can the tongue, hence all the Biblical admonitions on the wisdom of silence. Even if we mean well, our words can get twisted in transit and land as barbs and missiles rather than missives.
Touche' and well played!
Excellent post. In this Orwellian world, knowing the true meaning of words is very important.
Thank you.
Thanks and you're welcome ;)
Here's a clip on newspeak that goes with this post too
Destruction of Words, Narrow the Range of Thought (NewSpeak, 1984)
Use it or lose it....
As is knowing when to use them
The mind is such a beautiful creation. It's amazing how much of an impact words can have on our thoughts!
Information overload
It's the next step after consciousness and thinking, to communicate those thoughts and reference what we are talking about. Thanks for the feedback.
Hey, no "resteem it" icon for replies?
you sound a bit like me :)
you have inspired me to post some of my word work too!
LOL. Words are great ways to inspire. They breath in new thoughts and ideas.
yes - it is valuable to know the vibrational qualities of words - beyond the sound.. but it is also valuable to know how we are without words. words are, after all, not our first language ;)
Same here!
very good! followed!
Ditto!
I like your article. You inspired me a lot.
Great. Abrakadabra! :)
Thank you @krnel. What is your analysis of the word Abrakadabra and its true origin?
Here you go, Magic, Abracadabra and the Word – The Power of Consciousness (Pt.1), a previous series on consciousness and words/language influence.
Thank very much for info and link !!!
Wow, very powerful info. Is there a Greek and/or Latin online dictionary you recommend for etymological research?
Thanks. There is etymonline and wiktionary, and other sites.
Amazing! I must rEsteem... if not just to learn how you formatted so well ; )
LOL, thanks. You go to html mode and put your
imgtag in<div class="pull-left"></div>, orpull-rightfor right.<div class="pull-right"><center><img src="http://i.imgur.com/qGw3kOr.jpg" /><br/><em>Text</em></center></div>I appreciate your depth and intuition. It is not by chance that we have learned through quantum physics in the last 20yrs.( give or take) that the "quality" or "nature" of mass and matter are expressed through waveforms like sound and light. The personal power we have inherent in our will, our heart, and mind that can "cause" things to happen when we express those metaphysical aspects of our being through our body is astounding; the most powerful way, of course, is by releasing an "utterance" which uses the innate power of our identity. In the Hebrew mind and tradition, which is the Biblical understanding of Creation (Reality) before it was biblical ; this is the focal point of our purpose and identity as humanity created by Yahweh. "Let Us Make Man In Our Likeness", which is to be made as "little creators" with the same type of "Logos" woven into our living soul. Study further into languages we find in the ancient historical Near East, ALL of the most powerful civilizations with the most influence over the course of know history of humankind, had languages that were conceptually concrete, using "pictoglphs" which handcuffed the epistemology and the etymology to physical reality thereby unifiying the "unseen realm of spirit" coherently with the "seen" and experiencial knowledge of activities and things of life on earth. These developed into the more theoretical cuneform writting overtime, like modern English which is like cryptology, you have to be taught the "conceptual basis" first before all these lines, loops and crecents mean anything.
Ex: Egyptian, Summerian, Hebrew all used pictoglyphs and then the ancient Semitic languages of the Babylonians (Amorites), Akadians, Assyrians etc. etc.
So I have question: Are there "spirits" which are beings with unbodily personal power in our realm living and causing things to happen in the "unseen", while what we "see" and "hear", at times, are their power, desires, and motives being "uttered" causing things to happen impacting and affecting us, and the physical reality on earth? An example alagorically, of "spirit" is the {wind.} You cannot see or know where it is going, yet you can observe its impact. Great post!!! Upvote, I wrote something but more rudimentary (compared to yours) today. Check it out. Please tell me you've been keeping up with CYMATICS...Time is short...An event horizon is approaching...
Wauw, what a great article. Especially the sorcery, yes I concur, magic is not only in the words but it is the mighty consciousness of your self. Remember how you would believe in things as a kid and how parents took advantage to scare you and mold you into good behaviour? That's powerful. Aren't kids wonderful?
And, speaking of parent - child relations, legalese comes to mind!
As always, great article, but wouldn't this be more suited under epistemology than anything as something that is inherently true?
Thanks. Epistemology is part of philosophy. What do you mean?
Actually i confused myself there haha, my thought process was could we have absolute truth without the absolute truth of words and language and if we could they would be classed as the same thing.
I shouldn't post when i just wake up.
Great article. Also you can check my blog on similar subjects @artofwisdom
Etymonline.com is an excellent resource. On another note, it has been said that words are a secret code, unless they are defined. To define a word means to give it limitation so that it means this and not that. The only way one is authorized to define a word is to possess the substance that the word is intending to convey.
The universe is everything, all the variability, diversity and multiplicity "turned into one". It's not really one, the word is just a grouping order to express everything together. Like existence, reality. We de-finite words from the near infinity of things to communicate about, because if we didn't we wouldn't be talking about one thing separate from others. If we didn't even apply the process to begin with, all we would have is one thing and one word for it. That's why we de-finite words from infinitude because we can't talk about anything if we're talking about everything. Definition is required.
your post given me many benefit and science
You took 88 place in my Top 100 of postsCongratulations @krnel