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.  

Cordial

Definition: “Courteous and gracious; friendly and warm.” 

Origin/Derivation: From the Latin noun cor, cordis meaning “heart” - originally meant “of or pertaining to the heart” although that sense has long since been replaced by the word cardiac.

Related Words/Phrases:  accord, concord, discord, record (originally, to learn by heart), courage 

Sample Sentence: “The goddess Eris tossed the Apple of Discord (on which was written “To the Fairest”) into the wedding feast of Peleus and Thetis.  Paris awarded it to Aphrodite, ultimately touching off the Trojan War.”




Photo Caption: “Cherry Cordials, a popular dessert.” 

(All information is from www.wikipedia.org, www.etymonline.com and/or www.dictionary.com)