Tracking words

[Dimandja]

While looking up the definition for the word "hypocrite" (yeah, you think you know a word,...) recently, I ran into this:

"from Middle English ipocrite, from Old French, from Late Latin hypocrita, from Greek hupocrits, actor, from hupokrnesthai, to play a part, pretend."

Couldn't they just say "from Greek"?

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[trollacious]

I know that the dictionary definition refers to the Greek meaning of a play actor, but taking the word apart even further you'll see hypo/hupo, which means less than or beneath, and critos, which basically means judgement.

I'd take this to mean it refers to someone who is actually less than what they're judged to be.

Lee

 

[CajunCenturion]

The purpose of etymology is trace the development of a word from its original roots to its current form and meaning. It is not just to show its origin, but also to show how the form and meaning has evolved as the word was used in various languages and cultures throughout the its history.

Rather than 'less than' or 'beneath', I prefer to think of 'hypo' as 'under'. In terms of hypocrite (hypo = under + krinein = judgment), an actor is one who is "under judgment" in the sense of being judged as you would evaluate an actor's performance.

Just as actors pretend, by playing a role, a hypocrite pretends to be something they're not, or one who puts up false pretenses.

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