Mythful Meanings

In the English language, many meanings come from myths. This blog considers many of those words.

Myths are stories people tell to explain the great mysteries of life, such as birth and death, why the sun rises and sets, and why the moon changes in a predictable pattern.

I decided to start over from the end of the alphabet and work toward the beginning. I have a stack of index cards with information typed on them, all in alphabetical order. When I started this blog, I started at A, because I didn't realize that all the entries would be pushed down.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Pontus

To the ancient Greeks and Romans, Pontus was a god of the sea, especially the Black Sea. He preceded the Olympian gods.

English word: Several words derive from Pontus, starting with pontoon. a floating, bridgelike structure. We also have pontiff, a word for the Pope, related to being a "bridge" between humans and God. From that, we have pontificate, "to officiate as a pontiff, or to speak in the manner of or as with the authority of a pontiff. We also get punt, a narrow, flat-bottomed boat with square ends, usually propelled with a pole. Punt also means to propel by pushing with a pole, and to kick a football before it touches the ground when dropped from the hands, and the act of punting a football.

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