No reasonable person can look at the word Venus without trying to rhyme it with something. It's like wombat: it's impossible. This is a mite unfair on the poor old lady. Venus has got a terrible press. From her do we get venal, venom, venial and venereal disease.Vener is the Latin genitive. One early science fiction writer, W.A. Lach-Szyrma (of whom much much more later), wrote:
I must also apologise for the word "Venusian". I know well that compounds ought to be derived from the genitive Veneris; but these are already connected with ideas opposed to those I wish to convey.
Having a planet named after you is small compensation for such indignity. Even Shakespeare in Venus and Adonis makes her out as a slightly dotty and unwanted nymphomaniac.
Her Greek equivalent Aphrodite rhymes with nightie and gave us aphrodisiac.
I have already blogged about Venus of the Beautiful Bottom, and know nothing about fly-traps.
The Inky Fool was in a hurry and couldn't chat
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mighty Aphrodite in her nightie shone like light, gee... ;-)
ReplyDeleteDepends if you believe that any press is good press - how many words have Aphrodite or Diana got besides that one, hmm? Aphrodite has an annoyingly catchy pop song now, (although she has to share it with a few mortals) so she's catching up on that front.
ReplyDeleteVenus is Friday in lots of languages. That's gotta be good for something.
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ReplyDelete"venom" isn't derived from "Venus" - both words are from PIE *wen-.
ReplyDeleteOr is that too pedantic.
But "combat" rhymes with "wombat."
ReplyDeleteBy impossible, I didn't mean that the word was unrhymable. I meant that it was impossible to avoid thinking of the rhymes.
ReplyDeleteThat wombat rhymes with combat is the first thing on my mind whenever I hear the word. Just as venison ineluctably suggests the benison of Tennyson.
My mind is pregnant with wombats.