Word of the Day
for Thursday,
May 23, 2013
Genethliac \juh-NETH-lee-ak\, adjective:
of or pertaining to birthdays or to the position of the stars at
one's birth.
Really it must be
admitted that only in England and America is there anybody who knows how to
establish the genethliac
theme and construct a horoscope.
-- J. K. Huysmans, translated by Keene Wallace, Down There, 1891
-- J. K. Huysmans, translated by Keene Wallace, Down There, 1891
It must be said,
however, that the Arabs went much beyond the classical doctrines of Ptolemy's
Tetrabiblos and added to genethliac
astrology, which was concerned with the conjunction of heavenly bodies at the
moment of birth, a more popular science of interrogations and elections for
every occasion in life.
-- Charles Homer Haskins, The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century, 1955
-- Charles Homer Haskins, The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century, 1955
Genethalic derives from the Greek root genéthli
meaning "pertaining to one's birth." It is unrelated to the word gene.
Thanks to: www.dictionary.com
No comments:
Post a Comment