2021-02-02
ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด S – stalactite &stalagmite
แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น
ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค
Dictionary.com
ออกเสียง stalactite = ‘stuh-LAK-tahyt’ or ‘STAL-uhk-tahyt’
ออกเสียง stalagmite = ‘stuh-LAG-mahyt’ or ‘STAL-uhg-mahyt’
American Heritage Dictionary
WORD HISTORY:
The words stalagmite and stalactitehave confused many a person.
A look into the history of the Greek sources of these two words may help.
Both words can be traced back to the word stalassein, “to drip,”
which is appropriate since both words denote
deposits in caves formed by the dripping of mineral-rich water.
The Greek base from which stalassein was formed was stalak-
and to this base were added several endings that concern us,
specifically -ma, a noun suffix most frequently
denoting the result of an action,
-mo-, a suffix denoting the action of a verb as well as a result,
and -to-, an adjective suffix forming verbal adjectives.
With these suffixes and the addition of the inflectional endings,
as well as a sound change from (k) to (g) before (m), we get stalagma,
“that which drops, a drop,” stalagmos, “dropping, dripping of stalactites,”
and stalaktos, “dropping, dripping.”
Using these Greek words, Olaus Wormius
formed the Modern Latin word stalactst¶s,
the stalac- part meaning “dripping”
and the -st¶s part being commonly used to name fossils and minerals
when preceded by a form expressing a physical characteristic,
in this case “dripping.” Wormius also used the term stalagmst¶s,
the stalag- portion expressing the notion of what drops,
taken either from stalagma, “that which drops, a drop,”
or stalagmos, “dropping of stalactites.”
Stalactst¶s and stalagmst¶s, of course, are the sources of
our English words stalactite (first recorded in 1677),
the formation on the tops of caves, and stalagmite (first recorded in 1681),
the formation on the bottoms of caves.
They have been causing trouble ever since.
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions
stalactite & stalagmite
Only geologists are likely to use these termsoften,
but others have difficulty in remembering
which hangs down from the roof of a cave
and which rises-up from the floor.
Both stalactite and stalagmiterefer to
deposits of calcium carbonate formed by the dripping of water.
A stalactite is a column that hang down;
one that builds up from the floor is a stalagmite.
Suggestion for remembering:
associate stalactite with icicle.
If that doesn’t help, think of mite and mire.
