Septuagesimus Sextus: August 4, 2008: Lemures
Theme for this week: Words from NJCL Convention
After having spent a week at National Convention, having been immersed in all things Latin for a week, certe/quippe/scilicet I learned new words! Though actually, most, if not all, of the words are from Certamen matches which I watched. Nonetheless, enjoy the words for this week!
The today's word must start out with a question: What is the nocturnal animal to which the name is the English derivative of a Latin noun meaning "ghost?"
[blank space left intentionally so that you can actually try to answer it]
That question was for Upper/Advanced Open Certamen, and in my room at least no one knew it. The answer is "lemur," and thus the Latin noun is the word for today:
lemures, lemurum m. pl.
Definition: ghosts; malevolent ghosts of the dead, specters, shades
Sententia: "Es boni liberi, ne lemures vos edant!" mater monet.
"Sed cur necesse est mihi vereri ne me devoraturi sint?" unus puerorum queritur. "Modo sunt simii!"
"Be good children, so that the ghosts do not eat you!"
the mother warns.
"But why is it necessary for me to fear that they will eat me? one of the boys complains. "They are only monkeys!"
This word is rather rare, seeing as how it is (a) not on any of the syllabi and (b) not found in any of the works available on Perseus. Though you do have to take the Perseus database in general cum grano salis, for it is not a complete collection of everything written in Latin and sometimes has mistakes, especially in the dictionary portion. But on another note, what would Madagascar be without lemurs?
NB: Bold and underline == macron