# Greek-Latin cross etymolgies **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 4, 2003, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-latin-cross-etymolgies/199493 "2003-09-04T09:55:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-latin-cross-etymolgies/199493/1 "2003-09-04T09:55:52Z")
I know that the word mavens here will kill this thread in a productive way in no time at all in order to clear the cyber-waves for the important questions… I need some examples or a link for English words with mixed Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and or suffixes. I tried Googling but couldn’t get the right mix of descriptions. And is there a term for this sort of thing? Inquiring minds want to know… ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-latin-cross-etymolgies/199493/2 "2003-09-04T10:44:06Z")
television = Gk -\> tele, Lat -\> vision: distance seeing homosexual = Gk -\> homo, Lat -\> sexual: same sex (_not_ from Latin homo = man) amoral = Gk -\> a, Latin -\> moral: not moral (meaning “not using moral judgements,” as opposed to the entirely Latin-based immoral -\> not moral as in “going against morality”) Note that in these cases, a Greek prefix was tacked onto an _English_ word with Lation roots; the words were not created by joining a Greek word to a Latin word. I do not know that there is a term for this (although I know people who would call it an abomination.) ---
**Author:** ![dinoboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dinoboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinoboy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-latin-cross-etymolgies/199493/3 "2003-09-04T13:55:16Z")
I gotta go with **Tom** on this one, Latin doesn’t mix well with Greek (I don’t think they got along). Seriously though, in some (many?) cases, Latin would borrow from Greek (with not so much as a “by your leave”) and change it to make more Latin. As for what to call it? There is a term assosiated with how the etymology came about for any particular word, is that what you need? This page will help (maybe), even so, this site is wonderful for all of your entymological needs: [http://www.takeourword.com/glossary.html](http://www.takeourword.com/glossary.html) ---
**Author:** ![dinoboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@dinoboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinoboy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-latin-cross-etymolgies/199493/4 "2003-09-04T13:59:23Z")
Heh, :smack: that’s ‘etymological’ :wally … unless you’re looking for insects, then here: [http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/entomology/](http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/entomology/) ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-latin-cross-etymolgies/199493/5 "2003-09-04T14:09:08Z")
You could just call them “mongrel” words… Barry ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-latin-cross-etymolgies/199493/6 "2003-09-04T14:15:13Z")
**mac·a·ron·ic** -'rä-nik\ _adj_ [NL _macaronicus_, fr. It dial. maccarone macaroni] (1638) 1 : characterized by a mixture of vernacular words with Latin words or with non-Latin words having Latin endings 2 : characterized by a mixture of two languages – macaronic _n_ How’s that? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-latin-cross-etymolgies/199493/7 "2003-09-04T17:34:40Z")
And “automobile”, too. Which is a shame, really… “autokineticon” would have sounded so much cooler. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greek-latin-cross-etymolgies/199493/8 "2003-09-04T19:25:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*And “automobile”, too. Which is a shame, really… “autokineticon” would have sounded so much cooler. \*\* Cooler than **suimobile**? Pax.