Mysteries of vernacular: Inaugurate - Jessica Oreck

字源探秘：Inaugurate - Jessica Oreck

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Jessica Ruby

譯者: Jephian Lin 審譯者: Geoff Chen

Mysteries of vernacular

字源探秘：

Inaugurate:

Inaugurate（開始、就職）

to begin or introduce a system, policy, or period

──開始或引入某一制度、政策、或是時期；

or to admit someone formally into public office.

或是正式地承認某人就任公職。

The word inaugurate probably begins

今日的 inaugurate 這個字也許源自於

with the Latin word avis,

拉丁字 avis，

meaning bird.

它的意思是「鳥」。

In ancient Rome, avis was combined

在古羅馬時代，avis 和

with the Latin verb garrire, to talk.

拉丁字 garrire 結合， garrire 的意思是「說話」。

The two words together made augur,

這兩個字合起來變成 augur，

literally one who talks to birds.

字面上的意思是「和鳥說話的人」。

Figuratively, however, augur was the name given

而衍伸的意思， augur 是特定的神職人員的名字，

to a specific religious official,

而衍伸的意思， augur 是特定的神職人員的名字，

a type of soothsayer or prophet,

指的是一種預言家或是先知，

他們藉由研究鳥類的行為 來預言未來。

who foretold events by studying the behavior of birds.

No major decision was made

所有重要的決定

without the augur's consultation.

都必須徵詢 augur 的意見。

He would analyze flight patterns and direction,

他會分析鳥飛行的模式和方向、

bird calls,

鳥叫聲、

and general bird activities,

還有鳥的一般行為，

and then use these signs to interpret the will of the gods.

然後用這些徵兆 來詮釋上帝的旨意。

From augur comes the verb inaugurare,

由 augur 演變出 inaugurare 這個動詞，

to see omens from the flight of birds,

也就是「從鳥的飛行來預言未來，

and, then later, to consecrate or act

並在預言令人滿意的時候

when such omens are favorable.

才就任聖職或開始行動」。

Roman officials could only be installed in office

羅馬官員只能在鳥群表現出吉兆的時候 才能就職。

when the avian omens were auspicious.

羅馬官員只能在鳥群表現出吉兆的時候 才能就職。

Centuries later,

幾個世紀之後，

the word was eventually transmuted into English

這個字最終轉化成英文

as inaugurate.

變成 inaugurate。

Along the way, it lost its veneer of superstition

在這過程中，它褪去了迷信的外殼，

and was admitted formally

並被「正式地承認」

into the jargon of politics.

成為政治的專有名詞。