On 04/25/2010 06:07 PM, Patrick Kelly wrote: >> -----Original Message----- >> From: 9fans-boun...@9fans.net [mailto:9fans-boun...@9fans.net] On Behalf Of >> Karljurgen Feuerherm >> Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2010 6:33 PM >> To: 'Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs' >> Subject: Re: [9fans] Mars Needs Women >> >> From the Oxford Encyclopedic Dictionary: >> >> ethos. n. the characteristic spirit or attitudes of a community, people, or >> system, or of a literary work, etc. > > Odd considering that’s the Greek definition of ethikos. I just love how the > English language can't keep things straight. > Oh well, no use getting into a language debate. Thanks for pointing that out, > I'll have to remember that.
I'm not saying that English doesn't often mess things up, but in this case I think it does all right. ἦθος only means "accustomed place" in its most literal sense. Otherwise it can mean custom, disposition, character, etc.: http://artflx.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.31:3:159.LSJ ἠθικός is the adjective form (just think of other -ικός words, like poetic or economic). Alex (... hoping that it is not part of the 9fans ethos to get too annoyed but this sort of off-topic post) -- alex...@fastmail.net
