Whilst lying in bed this afternoon (yes, afternoon) I pondered the word "apathy". I was contemplating diabetic peripheral neuropathy (which they think I have in my feet) and realising that "pathy" or "pathos" is "ill" or "suffering"... So "at the ends of my body I have a suffering in the nerves due to diabetes" and realised that "apathy" must mean "no illness" like atom means "no cut".
And I failed English at school (like this is English!)
Well etymonline.com says this, so I was right. Apathy is not bad, it is good, it is "not unwell". If only I felt apathetic now!
- apathy
- c.1600, "freedom from suffering," from Fr. apathie (16c.), from L. apathia, from Gk. apatheia "freedom from suffering, impassability, want of sensation," from apathes "without feeling, without suffering or having suffered," from a- "without" (see a- (3)) + pathos "emotion, feeling, suffering" (see pathos). Originally a positive quality; sense of "indolence of mind, indifference to what should excite" is from c.1733.
I'm married to a vet, hence I'm used to the whole 'medical terms only tell you what you already know, except in Latin' thing.
ReplyDeleteSee 'distal caudal oscillatory hyperkinesia'. Very common in dogs.