Tag Archives: Etymology

Podoscaph

ˈpɒdəʊskæf Podoscaph: A canoe-shaped float attached to the foot, for walking on water The word is formed by attaching the Greek prefix pod(o)- (derived from pous, meaning “foot”) to skaphos, “ship”. In the fifteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci toyed with podoscaph design—but, realizing that they wouldn’t be a particularly stable mode of locomotion, he sketched … Continue reading Podoscaph

Oikofugic

ɔɪkəʊˈfjuːʤɪk Oikofugic: Having a desire to leave home,  an urge to wander or travel This word was coined in 1904 by the psychologist G. Stanley Hall, in his two-volume opus Adolescence: Its Psychology and Its Relations to Physiology, Anthropology, Sociology, Sex, Crime, and Religion. (Given the title, it’s amazing that he managed to hold it … Continue reading Oikofugic