Re: [tied] Intro plus request

Dear Alasdair,

If you're interested in the way the word "art" has developed in English since the 13th century (that's when it was borrowed from French) and in its semantic vagaries, the best reference one could recommend is the Oxford English Dictionary (especially the good old New English Dictionary; most public libraries have it). If you're interested in the Latin meanings of "ars, artis", have a look at this:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/lexindex?lookup=ars&lang=la

The Latin root art- 'skill, method' (originally *ar-ti-) is usually take to derive from Proto-Indo-European *h2ar- (*ar-) 'fit together' (hence also artus 'joint', articulus, etc., Latin armus and English arm) with the suffix *-ti-, forming abstract nouns.

I think it will please you to know that "harmony" is a related word (Greek harmonia is derived from harmos 'joint [in masonry etc.]' < *arhmos < *ar-smo-); so is aristos 'the best'.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: Alasdair Maclennan

To: cybalist@egroups.com

Sent: Saturday, December 16, 2000 3:53 AM

Subject: [tied] Intro plus request

greetings to all my co-listers i am a new arrival to the list. it is with a might of trepidation i write this, as i am by no means an academic, and the postings i have read thus far have been, frankly, above my head. however,i have been enthralled by words, their power and their origins all my adult life, and i was not without my reasons when i registered here in the first place. at this moment i am particularly interested in the english word 'art' and its original meaning and transformations. if any of you ladies or gentleman can furnish me with any detail i would be so very grateful respect a macl. ===== Cash Rules Everything Around Me __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/