Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site bbncca.ARPA Path: utzoo!linus!bbncca!keesan From: keesan@bbncca.ARPA (Morris Keesan) Newsgroups: net.singles,net.motss,net.nlang Subject: amusing etymological coincidence Message-ID: <797@bbncca.ARPA> Date: Fri, 22-Jun-84 19:15:19 EDT Article-I.D.: bbncca.797 Posted: Fri Jun 22 19:15:19 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 23-Jun-84 06:39:26 EDT Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma. Lines: 15 ------------------------------------------- In the recent debate on homosexuality and tolerance which has been taking place mostly in net.singles and leaking occasionally into net.motss, Steve Dyer made a reference to "fascism", was criticized for using the word incorrectly, and replied by clarifying the specific idiomatic sense he intended. Wondering about the "official" definition, I checked Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, and found that the derivation of "fascism" is from the Italian "fascismo", from "fascio" meaning bundle, from the Latin "fascis", also meaning bundle. Considering the topic of debate, I find this highly amusing, because I'm sure that "fascis" is related (probably through a common Indo-European root) to the English word "faggot" meaning bundle, or bundle of sticks. -- Morris M. Keesan {decvax,linus,wjh12,ima}!bbncca!keesan keesan @ BBN-UNIX.ARPA