Catholic Word of the Day: HYSTERON PROTERON, 05-16-09

CatholicReference.net ^ | 05-16-09 | Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary

[Salvation]

Featured Term (selected at random):

HYSTERON PROTERON

Begging the question. In logic, a fallacious argument in which a person assumes what he or she is supposed to prove.

All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

[Salvation]

LOL! Does this happen on FR?

[Salvation]

Catholic Word of the Day – not linked – but you can do a search to find them.

La Salette	Liturgy	Andacollo
Kings, Book of	Physiologus	Old Catholics
Baltimore Catechism	Armagh, Book of	Nature
Eulogia	Orders, Sacrament of	Missionary
Dominus Vocbiscum	Ichthus-Fish	Abbacy of St.Jerome
Invalid	Doctrinal Demythology	Metaphysics
Ecclesia Docens	Apostolic Signatura	Octaves
Religion as feeling	Temperament	Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Congregation for Catholic Education	Sponsor	Mystery Play
Paschal Candle	Imitation of Christ	Voluntarism
Matter, Sacramental	Notion	Chancel
Gabbatha	Gregorian Masses	Ordo
Resolution of Amendment	Supreme Evil	Archives, Vatican
Pride	Solovyevism	Natural Law
Revealed Law	Presbyter	First Saturdays
Alma Redemptoris Mater	Divorce	Jubilee
Procession	Teilhardism	Hysteron Proteron

Catholic Word of the Day Ping!

Please send me a FReepmail if you would like to be on the Catholic Word of the Day Ping List.

[Salvation]

Main Entry:

hys·ter·on prot·er·on

Pronunciation:

\ˌhis-tə-ˌrän-ˈprä-tə-ˌrän, -tə-rən-ˈprä-tə-rən, -ˈprȯ-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Late Latin, from Greek, literally, (the) later earlier, (the) latter first

Date:

1565

: a figure of speech consisting of the reversal of a natural or rational order (as in “then came the thunder and the lightning”)

[scrabblehack]

Are there any Greek scholars out there?

Is there any connection between “hysteron” (latter) and “hystera” (womb)?

hysterectomy = removal of the uterus
hysteria/hysterical/hysterics is generally traced to
hystera as well.

Yet a third word is “hystere’ma.” (deficiency).

The opening line of the 23rd Psalm of the Septuagint is:

Psalmos toi David Kyrios poimainei me kai ouden me hystere’sei.

(A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.)

I had thought that hystere’sei might be related to hystera — a womb lies open, wanting fulfillment. But maybe it’s related to hysteron instead. The early bird catches the worm and all, the late one may be empty handed.

Or maybe all 3 words are completely different.

[Salvation]

Thanks for your wonderful information. I’m checking the dictionary site for related words.

[Salvation]

All they had was hysteria and hysterectomy, both of which you already mentioned.

Very different meanings on all these words, however.

[annalex]

Hard to say. Here are the related dictionaty entries:

hustera

husteros , husta^tos

The connection might be through the meaning of "hindmost" (B. hustatos, I), but it is just my conjecture.

"u" and "y" are, of course, the same letter in Greek.