It might sound bizarre, but the (medical) vocabulary we are using during the covid-19 pandemic reminds me of the importance of Greek as well as the beauty of reborrowing.
Let's explore some of these words... For sure i can't include all of them, but feel free to comment about other words you are using these days that have Greek origin.
The word pandemic was first introduced in 1600. It comes from the Greek words pan - παν (=whole, όλος) and demic - δήμος (=people, δήμος, λαός). In Greek, η πανδημία.
epidemic: epi - επί (=on) and demic - δήμος (=people, δήμος, λαός). In Greek, η επιδημία.
Now you know the difference between pandemic and epidemic. The word epidemic signifies a disease which falls upon many people, while pandemic refers to a disease which falls upon all the people.
Clinic: clini - κλίνη (=bed). In Greek η κλινική.
Symptom: sym - syn - συν (plus, together) and ptom - pipto - πίπτω (=fall, πέφτω). A symptom is an accident or misfortune which befalls upon someone. It might be a physical or mental abnormality that shows the presence of a disease. In Greek, το σύμπτωμα.
Diagnosis: dia and gnosis - γνώση - γιγνώσκω (=know, recognize, discernment). The identification of the nature and cause of anything. It can be applied to any system, physical or otherwise. In Greek, η διάγνωση.
Pneumonia was identified in the late 1800s, when it was the leading cause of death due to infectious disease and the third leading cause of death overall. It comes from the word Pneu - pneo - πνέω (=breath)
The first recorded use of crisis began around 1375–1425. Crisis - κρίση (=interpretation, decision). In Greek, η κρίση.
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