Muses的词源

英文词源

mosaic

mosaic: [16] Mosaic work is etymologically work ‘of the muses’. The word comes ultimately from Greek mouseion, which originally meant literally ‘place of the muses’, and has also given English museum. Somehow in medieval Latin it became altered to mūsaicus or mōsaicus, and passed via early modern Italian mosaico and French mosaïque into English as mosaic. It has no etymological connection, incidentally, with Mosaic ‘of Moses’ [17].
=> muse, museum

museum

museum: [17] Etymologically, a museum is a place devoted to the ‘muses’. It comes via Latin mūsēum ‘library, study’ from Greek mouseion ‘place of the muses’, a noun based on the adjective mouseios ‘of the muses’. This in turn was derived from mousa ‘muse’, source of English muse [14]. Other English words from the same source are mosaic and music. But muse ‘ponder’ is not related; it comes, like its first cousin amuse, from Old French muse ‘animal’s mouth’.
=> mosaic, muse, music

music

music: [13] Etymologically, music comes from the ‘muses’, Greek goddesses who inspired poets, painters, musicians, etc. The word traces its history back via Old French musique and Latin mūsica to Greek mousiké, a noun use of mousikós ‘of the muses’, an adjective derived from mousa ‘muse’. The specialization of the word’s meaning began in Greek – first to ‘poetry sung to music’, and subsequently to ‘music’ alone.
=> muse, museum

artist (n.)

1580s, "one who cultivates one of the fine arts," from Middle French artiste (14c.), from Italian artista, from Medieval Latin artista, from Latin ars (see art (n.)).

Originally used especially of the arts presided over by the Muses (history, poetry, comedy, tragedy, music, dancing, astronomy), but also used 17c. for "one skilled in any art or craft" (including professors, surgeons, craftsmen, cooks). Now especially of "one who practices the arts of design or visual arts" (a sense first attested 1747).

bemuse (v.)

"to make utterly confused," from be- + muse (compare amuse); attested from 1735 but probably older, as Pope (1705) punned on it as "devoted utterly to the Muses."

Gradus ad Parnassum (n.)

Latin, literally "A Step to Parnassus," the mountain sacred to Apollo and the Muses. It was the title of a dictionary of prosody used in English public schools for centuries as a guide to Roman poetry. The book dates from the 1680s. Also the name of a treatise on musical composition written in Latin by Johann Joseph Fux, published in Vienna in 1725, and of a much-used book of exercises for piano.

Helicon

1520s, from Greek Helikon, mountain in Boeotia, sacred to the Muses, in which arose the fountains of Aganippe and Hippocrene. Literally "the tortuous mountain," from helix (genitive helikos) "spiral" (see helix).

Hippocrene

fount on Mount Helicon, sacred to the Muses, from Greek Hippokrene, literally "horse's fountain," from hippos "horse" + krene "fountain."

Mnemosyne

titaness, mother of the Muses, from Greek mnemosyne, literally "memory, remembrance," from mneme "memory" (see mnemonic).

mosaic (n.)

c. 1400, from Old French mosaicq "mosaic work," from Italian mosaico, from Medieval Latin musaicum "mosaic work, work of the Muses," noun use of neuter of musaicus "of the Muses," from Latin Musa (see muse). Medieval mosaics were often dedicated to the Muses. The word formed in Medieval Latin as though from Greek, but the (late) Greek word for "mosaic work" was mouseion (Klein says this sense was borrowed from Latin). Figurative use is from 1640s. As an adjective in English from 1580s. Related: Mosaicist.

muse (n.)

late 14c., protectors of the arts, from Old French Muse and directly from Latin Musa, from Greek Mousa, "the Muse," also "music, song," from PIE root *men- "to think, remember" (see mind (n.)). Meaning "inspiring goddess of a particular poet" is from late 14c. The traditional names and specialties of the nine Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, are: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (love poetry, lyric art), Euterpe (music, especially flute), Melpomene (tragedy), Polymnia (hymns), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), Urania (astronomy).

museum (n.)

1610s, "the university building in Alexandria," from Latin museum "library, study," from Greek mouseion "place of study, library or museum, school of art or poetry," originally "a seat or shrine of the Muses," from Mousa "Muse" (see muse (n.)). Earliest use in reference to English institutions was of libraries (such as the British Museum); sense of "building to display objects" first recorded 1680s.

music (n.)

mid-13c., musike, from Old French musique (12c.) and directly from Latin musica "the art of music," also including poetry (also source of Spanish musica, Italian musica, Old High German mosica, German Musik, Dutch muziek, Danish musik), from Greek mousike (techne) "(art) of the Muses," from fem. of mousikos "pertaining to the Muses," from Mousa "Muse" (see muse (n.)). Modern spelling from 1630s. In classical Greece, any art in which the Muses presided, but especially music and lyric poetry.

The use of letters to denote music pitch probably is at least as old as ancient Greece, as their numbering system was ill-suited to the job. Natural scales begin at C (not A) because in ancient times the minor mode was more often used than the major one, and the natural minor scale begins at A.

Music box is from 1773, originally "barrel organ;" music hall is from 1842, especially "hall licensed for musical entertainment" (1857). To face the music "accept the consequences" is from 1850; the exact image is uncertain, one theory ties it to stage performers, another to cavalry horses having to be taught to stay calm while the regimental band plays. To make (beautiful) music with someone "have sexual intercourse" is from 1967.

nines (n.)

in phrase to the nines "to perfection" (1787) first attested in Burns, apparently preserves the ancient notion of the perfection of the number as three times three (such as the nine Muses).

[T]he Book of St. Albans, in the sections on blasonry, lays great stress on the nines in which all perfect things (orders of angels, virtues, articles of chivalry, differences of coat armour, etc.) occur. [Weekley]

No one seems to consider that it might be a corruption and mispision of to then anes, literally "for the one (purpose or occasion)," a similar construction to the one that yielded nonce (q.v.).

Parnassus (n.)

late 14c., from Latin, from Greek Parnassos, mountain in central Greece, sacred to Apollo and the Muses, thus symbolic of poetry. Room writes that the name is from Hittite parna "abode." Related: Parnassian.

Various kinds of literary fame seem destined to various measures of duration. Some spread into exuberance with a very speedy growth, but soon wither and decay; some rise more slowly, but last long. Parnassus has its flowers of transient fragrance, as well as its oaks of towering height, and its laurels of eternal verdure. [Samuel Johnson, "The Rambler," March 23, 1751]

Pierian (adj.)

literally "of Pieria," 1590s, from Latin Pierius "Pieria," from Greek Pieria, district in northern Thessaly, reputed home of the Muses; thus "pertaining to poetry."

A little Learning is a dang'rous Thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring:
[Pope, "Essay on Criticism," 1711]

The name is ultimately from PIE *peie- "be fat, swell" (see fat (adj.)).

ploy (n.)

1722, "anything with which one amuses oneself," Scottish and northern England dialect, possibly a shortened form of employ or deploy. Popularized in the sense "move or gambit made to gain advantage" by British humorist Stephen Potter (1900-1969).

Pachydermata

"Originally, in Cuvier's system of classification: an order of mammals comprising elephants and related animals, and hoofed quadrupeds that do not chew the cud such as rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, pigs, horses, etc. (now historical ). In later use (treated as plural, in form pachydermata): animals belonging to this order; pachyderms", Early 19th century; earliest use found in William Buckland (1784–1856), geologist and dean of Westminster. From scientific Latin Pachydermata, order name from ancient Greek παχύδερμος thick-skinned (Aristotle), after French pachyderme.

中文词源

Muses：希腊神话中主管文艺的缪斯女神

Muses（缪斯）是希腊神话中掌管艺术的诸神。共九位，分别是历史、抒情诗、喜剧(牧歌、田园诗)、悲剧、歌舞、爱情诗、颂歌、天文、史诗。Muses 的艺术衍生出单词 music，Muses 收藏艺术品的地方就是 museum。艺术带来的快乐便是 amuse，amusement。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：Muses 词源，Muses 含义。

Muses：文艺女神缪斯

缪斯（Muses）是希腊神话中主管科学和文艺的女神们的总称，为天神宙斯和记忆女神谟涅摩绪涅所生，共九位。由于缪斯女神主管文艺，所以在古代西方，人们往往将杰出的艺术作品放在缪斯女神的神庙中，这就是博物馆（museum）的起源。单词museum由muse（缪斯）和表示“场所”的后缀-um，本意就是“缪斯的神庙”。同样，英语单词music（音乐）的本意是“art of the Muses”（缪斯的艺术），mosaic（马赛克、镶嵌艺术）的本意是“work of the Muses”（缪斯的作品），以前都是供奉给缪斯女神的。

克利俄（Clio）是司掌历史的缪斯女神。她与马其顿国王皮埃罗斯生下美少年海辛瑟斯。她的形象被描绘成一位拿着一卷羊皮纸或书写纸的女性。1865年8月25日发现的小行星史神星以克利俄的名字命名。她的名字在希腊语中拼写为Kleio，意思是“宣告者”，在英语中拼写为clio，表示“历史”，如cliometrics（计量历史学）。

卡利俄佩（calliope）是掌管英雄史诗的缪斯女神，九位缪斯中的最年长者。她的名字在希腊语中含义是“声音悦耳的”。在希腊神话中，卡利俄佩有两个儿子：俄耳甫斯（希腊神话中最著名的歌手和竖琴手）和利诺斯（著名的乐手）。在冥后珀耳塞福涅与爱神阿芙洛狄忒争夺绝世美少年阿多尼斯的争执中，卡利俄佩作出裁决：阿多尼斯每年分别陪珀耳塞福涅和阿佛罗狄忒各自生活一段相等的时间。在艺术作品中，卡利俄佩的通常形象是手持蜡板（有时是书卷）的妇女。

汽笛风琴（calliope）是一种用水蒸气驱动发音的气鸣乐器。它的名字来源于卡利俄佩，通常用于马戏团招揽顾客，因为它的声音可以传出好几公里。

museum： [mjuː'zɪəm] n.博物馆

music： ['mjuːzɪk] n.音乐，乐曲

mosaic： [mə(ʊ)'zeɪɪk] n.马赛克，镶嵌，镶嵌图案adj.摩西的，镶嵌的

cliometrics：[,klaɪə(ʊ)'metrɪks] n.计量历史学

calliope：[kə'laiəpi] n.汽笛风琴，卡利俄佩