And while "hematoma" is not a Greek word -- it is true that science found much of its authority in creating words based on classical roots because the knowledge of those languages used to stand as a guarantee of expertise and authority.
So, while I may be somewhat wrong in the particulars, I'm making a larger argument about how technical terms develop.
I'm not an expert, but it seems an interesting conversation on the use and abuse of language as professional jargon.
Joanna
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> there's nothing in the word "pointer" as a common word that
> would suggest its specific IT use and implications.
Let's not get carried away here; the origin of the use of that term is to replace the awkwardness of saying "the thing that points or makes reference to that other thing" over and over. "Pointer" is a natural name for that thing. And of course Reference is CS jargon, with many meanings :-)
> The latin/greek terms themselves were bread and butter words
> in latin and greek, but sounded "learned" in English.
> There's no difference between "hematoma" and "blood clot."
Except that "hematoma" isn't a Greek word: it's based on the hemat- root, but it's not a word unto itself in any language other than English ... and it came into use in the mid 19th century, not while medicine was getting formalized.
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When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging :-)
/jordan
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