Tell us why we should unexpectedly come to love your hobby.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 22 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

Helico means spinning and pter means pter

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 23 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Maybe you were just deliberately baiting for this, but no!

    Helicopter's etymology actually breaks down into helico and pter. Helico being cognate with helix, and pter being "flying", from the same root as pterodactyl (flying finger).

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Super interesting.

    Does that mean that we're pronouncing either helicopter or pterodactyl wrong? We don't say the 'pter' parts the same way I think?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago*

    nah there's no "wrong" for a common native pronunciation. but for silent p- words specifically, the /pt/ and /ps/ consonant clusters just don't occur at the start of words in English. so the p goes silent in those words. pterodactyl, psychology. but in languages like Greek and German they do occur!

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    I thought heli is more like a screw. (Not claiming that it is, but that was my understanding)

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    The word is not "heli" though. It's "helico".

    Like in the helicoprion (a shark with a spiral think on it's mouth) or a helicograph (a tool to draw spirals).

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)
  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    Yes, that is where it comes from.

    https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/helico

    https://www.dictionary.com/browse/helico-

    Doesn't change the fact that the word helicopter splits into "helico" and "pter" with the later meaning wing or feather in greek.

    https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pter-

    It's a helico-pter "spiraling wing", not a heli-copter.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments