Aftermath
[Winslow Homer]
William from Charlevoix
asked about the word aftermath. Its origin is unexpected, to say the least. The
after segment predictably means
coming at a later time. The math
segment comes from Germanic words that meant to mow.
Originally, aftermath
meant a second crop of grass that springs up after the first has been
harvested. It was once accompanied by day’s
math, an area of land that can be mown by one person in one day, the
synonym lattermath, and undermath, an undergrowth of grass or
other vegetation.
Aftermath later
developed into a period of time that follows a significant event, and a
consequence or effect remaining after something has ceased to be.
The word math, an
abbreviation for mathematics, had an entirely different source. It came from a
Greek word that meant something learned, knowledge. That root is used in automath, a self-taught person, misomath, a person who hates
mathematics, opsimath, a person who
begins to learn late in life, philomath,
a lover of learning, and polymath, a
person who has studied many disciplines.
There is a third math,
not connected to the previous two. It comes from a Sanskrit word that means a
cell. In South Asia, a math is a monastery meant for celibate Hindu mendicants.
Listen to Mike’s program in real
time every Tuesday morning, 9:10 - 10:00 a.m. EST, by going to wtcmradio.com
and clicking on Listen Now. You’ll
also find about a month’s worth of podcasts there under The Ron Jolly Show.
Comments