2011/2/12 P. Christeas <[email protected]>: > On Saturday 12 February 2011, Wolfgang Bornath wrote: > > As for "agora": >> While "agora" has its meaning in Greek, I wonder how many people >> elsewhere know it. Over here "agora" is mostly known as part of >> "agoraphobie", a psychologic desease (patients avoid any public >> gathering of people, in severe cases the patient is not able to leave >> his house). So, if the word has any meaning for someone here, it is as >> part of something negative. > > Well, I'd have to dispute that: > if you are talking about "agora-phobie", it is the second component that adds > the negative meaning, while the first one is the original meaning.
Yes, that's what I wrote myself, see above. The point is, that for people who don't know Greek the word "agora" itself has no meaning, but they remember the word from the expression "agoraphobie" which is negative. -- wobo
