The fourth of Galen’s four fluid humours of the body, μέλαινα χολή, black bile, was associated, when in supposed excess, with a melancholic temperament, as defined in the OED: “Originally … […]
Jeff Aronson’s Words
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Rhetoric and oratory
You might think that “rhetoric” and “oratory” came from the same linguistic root. But it appears not, which is fitting, considering the difference in meaning. Scholars tell us that rhetoric […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Presidential rhetoric
The main current meaning of rhetoric is “the art of using language effectively so as to persuade or influence others” (OED). But in ancient Greece and Rome rhetoric was an […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Choleric
The third of Galen’s four fluid humours of the body, χολή, [yellow] bile, was associated, when in supposed excess, with a choleric temperament, “disposed to anger or easily angered; hot-tempered, […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Empathy and compassion
In my last two blogs I discussed empathy and suggested that it may take different forms. Here I expand on those ideas and compare sympathy, empathy, and compassion. I take […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Empathy—fact and fiction
The English suffix -pathy comes from the Greek -παθεια. Vary the prefix, vary the feeling: ἀντιπάθεια – suffering instead, contrary affection, aversion (ἀντί = opposite, against); εὐπάθεια – ease, sensitivity […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . A word about empathy
Empathy is becoming a 21st century biomedical fashion, judging by the number of papers on the subject (figure). But the concept is not new. The word is first recorded in […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Phlegmatic
The second of Galen’s four fluid humours of the body, φλέγμα, was associated, when in supposed excess, with a phlegmatic temperament, “not easily excited to feeling or action; stolidly calm, […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Drugs and medicaments
When is a drug not a drug? The word “drug” first appeared, in various forms, in Middle French and English in the late 14th century, without recorded antecedents. It originally […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Sanguine—hopeful, not bloody minded
The first of Galen’s four fluid humours of the body, αἷμα, blood, was associated with the temperament that came to be known as sanguine, from the equivalent Latin word, sanguis. […]