THE ETYMOLOGY NERD
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SACRED RULE

2/7/2017

1 Comment

 
Class divisions are bad, but the source of hierarchy ("division of society") is really unfair, etymologically speaking. In Middle English, the original spellings alternated between jerarchie and ierarchie. This came from Old French ierarchie, which generally meant "rule". Going back further, the word took a reactionary and religious turn, with the Latin word hierarchia. This meant "division of angels" and was the first time the word implied "echelons" and the last time it meant something to do with the Church. This in turn traces back to Greek hierarkhes, "priest", a combination of hieros, meaning "sacred", and arkhein, meaning "to rule". Hieros comes from the root of ire, the Proto-Indo-European root eis, which generally meant "religious passion", while arkhein's origin is unknown. In any case, a hierarchy can be traced back to mean a "sacred rule" by the upper class, showing just how deep societal schisms run.
1 Comment
Douglas Tomich
2/24/2023 02:46:13 pm

I do not have the book in front of me, but I remember reading that one interpretation of the history of the word 'rule' relates to a grape vine trellis. The idea is that grape vines grow stronger/ better w/ the support of a trellis, and that people grow stronger/ better w/ the support of a rule.... going off memory here, so please forgive if I am butchering this.... The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction
Book by Justin Whitmel Earley

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    Hello! I'm Adam Aleksic. I have a linguistics degree from Harvard University, where I co-founded the Harvard Undergraduate Linguistics Society and wrote my thesis on Serbo-Croatian language policy. In addition to etymology, I also really enjoy traveling, trivia, philosophy, board games, conlanging, and art history. 

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