A.W.A.D. - Words with Origins in Numbers

with Anu Garg

We may think only mathematicians or economists or auditors have to deal with numbers, but numbers are everywhere. They're in beautiful patterns, they are in the spiral of a mollusk, in the arrangement of seeds in a sunflower, and beyond.

Though it may not be obvious at first glance, all of this week's words have their origins in numbers.

decussate
PRONUNCIATION: (verb: di-KUHS-ayt, DEK-uh-sayt, adjective: di-KUHS-ayt, -it)
MEANING: verb tr.:
To intersect or to cross
adjective:
1. Intersected or crossed in the form of an X
2. Arranged in pairs along the stem, each pair at a right angle to the one above or below

ETYMOLOGY: The word originated from Latin "as" (plural asses) which was a copper coin and the monetary unit in ancient Rome. The word for ten asses was decussis, from Latin decem (ten) + as (coin). Since ten is represented by X, this spawned the verb decussare, meaning to divide in the form of an X or intersect.

NOTES: Samuel Johnson, lexicographer extraordinaire, has a well-deserved reputation for his magnum opus "A Dictionary of the English Language", but as they say, even Homer nods. He violated one of the dictums of lexicography -- do not define a word using harder words than the one being defined -- when he used today's word and two other uncommon words in defining the word network:

Network: Any thing reticulated or decussated, at equal distances, with interstices between the intersections. And what is "reticulated"?

Again, according to Johnson: Reticulated: Made of network; formed with interstitial vacuities.

USAGE:"How I wished then that my body, too, if it had to droop and shrivel, for surely everyone's did, would furl and decussate with grace to sculpt the victory of my spirit."J. Nozipo Maraire; Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter; Delta; 1997.

hecatomb
PRONUNCIATION: (HEK-uh-toom, -tom)
MEANING: noun: A large-scale slaughter

ETYMOLOGY: Originally a hecatomb was a public sacrifice and feast of 100 oxen or cattle to the gods in ancient Greece and Rome. The word is derived from Latin hekatombe, from Greek hekatombe, from hekaton (hundred) + bous (ox). Another word derived from bous (ox) is boustrophedon.

USAGE:"The use of high-tech weapons will result in hecatombs, smart as the US bombs may be." Lost Values; Kathimerini (Athens, Greece); Mar 17, 2003.

atone
PRONUNCIATION: (uh-TOHN, rhymes with phone)
MEANING: verb tr., intr.: To make amends for

ETYMOLOGY: From the contraction of the phrase "at one" meaning "to be in harmony"

USAGE: "While society must be protected from those who might pose it a threat, it is vital we let people get on with their lives once they have atoned." Éamonn Mac Aodha; Minor Offenders Need More Help to Escape Spectre of Past Crime; The Irish Times (Dublin); Apr 28, 2009.

tessera
PRONUNCIATION: (TES-uhr-uh; plural tesserae: TES-uhr-ee)
MEANING: noun: A small piece of stone, glass, or tile used to make a mosaic

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin, from Greek tesseres, variant of tessares (four), from the four corners of its square shape

USAGE: "Like red-stained tessera, the remnants of lost lives come together to compose a vast and shocking mosaic of contemporary life." Art Gould; Piecing It All Together; The Anniston Star (Alabama); May 10, 2009.

decuman
PRONUNCIATION: (DEK-yoo-muhn)
MEANING: adjective: Very large

ETYMOLOGY: From Latin decumanus, variant of decimanus (of the tenth), from decimus (tenth), from decem (ten). The word was often applied to waves from the belief that every tenth wave is greater than the others. The word also referred to the main gate of a military camp in ancient Rome. This gate faced away from the enemy and the tenth cohort of the legion was stationed there. A related word is decimate and a dean is, literally speaking, a chief of ten.

USAGE:
"The lover whose soul shaken is
In some decuman billow of bliss."
Francis Thompson; The Way of a Maid; c. 1890.