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Saint Ignatius High School

Etymology Word of the Week

Director of Admissions Pat O'Rourke '90, a self-proclaimed "word nerd," brings you his Etymology Word of the Week. Every other week he presents an online Etymology lesson just for fun!

Etymology Word of the Week – As some of you know, in addition to working in the Admissions Office, I also teach Latin at Saint Ignatius and am something of a "word nerd."  Thus, each week, I’ll sneak a vocabulary word (sometimes derived from Latin, sometimes not) into the e-blast.  Here then is this week’s edition of the Etymology Word of the Week.  

Patrick - “masculine proper name meaning ‘of noble or high rank’.”  From Irish name/noun Padraig via the Latin noun/name Patricius meaning “a patrician.”  Related to the Latin nouns pater meaning “father” and patria meaning “fatherland, country, homeland.”  (All information is from www.wikipedia.org, www.etymonline.com and/or www.dictionary.com)

RELATED WORDS/PHRASES – Pater Noster (“Our Father”), paterfamilias (for all of you O Brother, Where Art Thou? fans out there), patriarch, patriot, Patricia, paternal, paternity, patron, patronage, repatriate, ex-pat, etc.