For National Pancake Day, Words With the Greek Roots "Pan-"

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  1. panoply
    a complete and impressive array
    In the lengthy segment, Corbyn discusses a panoply of issues, covering the gamut from war to climate change. Salon (Dec 10, 2015)
    From "pan-" + Greek "hopla" "arms," panoply originally meant "a complete suit of armor."
  2. panacea
    hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases
    Again, as if there's one magic bean somewhere that, like a miracle panacea, fixes everything at once. US News (Feb 24, 2016)
    The second element here is from Greek "-akos" "cure" from "iasthai" "to heal," which also gives us the English "iatric" as in "bariatric" or "psychiatric."
  3. pantheon
    all the gods of a religion
    Although unquestionably in the pantheon of U.S. military heroes, MacArthur and Patton were also controversial figures remembered by historians as flamboyant self-promoters. Reuters (Feb 26, 2016)
    "Theios" is Greek for "of or for the gods." The Pantheon was originally the temple dedicated to all the gods.
  4. pantomime
    a performance using gestures and movements without words
    She raised a fluttering hand to her brow and staggered back, pantomiming horror. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
    A pantomime is literally "an imitator of all" from "panto" and Greek "mimos" "imitator." "Mimos" is also ultimately at the root of such English words as "mimic," "to copy, ape or imitate."
  5. panegyric
    formally expressing praise
    In a strong, ringing voice, he pronounced a panegyric on the Duke, whom he repeatedly designated as "that financial genius." Palacio Vald?s, Armando
    Panegyrics were often eulogies, speeches given in public in praise of the dead, and this helps explain the second element in the word itself, Greek "-agyris," meaning "place of public assembly."
  6. pandemonium
    a state of extreme confusion and disorder
    “This put the villagers and the neighborhood into pandemonium,” according to a news release from Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency, and they “started running helter-skelter.” New York Times (Feb 1, 2016)
    This word was actually coined by John Milton in "Paradise Lost," as the name for Satan's palace, or "place for all the daemons or evil spirits." The word's most common modern use, to mean " wild, lawless confusion" is first attested from 1865.
  7. pandemic
    epidemic over a wide geographical area
    The song is explicitly about the influenza pandemic of 1918 that killed off three to five per cent of the world’s population. The New Yorker (Mar 5, 2016)
    Literally, "pertaining to all people," the second element being derived from Greek "demos" "people," the same root that is present at the beginning of "democracy."
  8. panther
    a large spotted feline of tropical America similar to the leopard; in some classifications considered a member of the genus Felis
    Stone panthers guard the porch, snarling up at the sky. Red Queen
    It is not an accepted etymology, but it is tempting to want to derive "panther" from "pan" + "ther," an Greek form meaning "wild beast." The attested etymology is from Latin "panthera" from Greek "panther" which collapsed panthers and leopards into one designation.
  9. pancreas
    a large gland that secretes insulin and digestive enzymes
    Repeatedly eating foods that cause surges in blood sugar makes the pancreas work harder. New York Times (Feb 12, 1455)
    "-kreas" means "flesh" in Greek, and the pancreas is "all flesh" in the sense that it didn't seem to be differentiated, but all of one substance. Modern science divides the pancreas into four parts, primarily based on location.
  10. panopticon
    an area or structure where everything is visible
    In architecture, the panopticon, a circular building designed so that everything can be seen from its center, was sometimes used for prisons. New York Times (Jan 12, 2016)
    The second element in this word derives from Greek "-optikos" "of or for the sight," which also gives up English words like "optics" and "optician."
Created on Tue Mar 08 13:28:05 EST 2016 (updated Tue Mar 08 16:47:21 EST 2016)

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