Re: VMs: Fw: Arctos

[Dennis <tsalagi@xxxxxxxx>]

Nick Pelling wrote:
> > The word Arctos appears in more than one Latin dictionary. At
> > the time of the VMS many Greek works were being recovered
> > either directly or via arabic sources. The words would already
> > have had at least an indirect Latin equivalent.
>  
> All I'm counselling is etymological caution. If your decryption is based 
> on a Latin plaintext, surely having one of your first decrypted words 
> actually being Greek somewhat weakens your claim?
>
> Also: you must remember that many Latin words weren't invented by the 
> Romans. 

	Don't forget that the Romans themselves borrowed many words 
from Greek.  After all, they imported the letters Y and Z 
just so they could write Greek loan words better.

> My guess would be that "arctos" only became sort-of Latinised 
> much later with "Ursus arctos" ("bear bear"). (And "Arcturus/i" is 
> another word entirely.) To assert a word is often to assert a date...

	Obviously one could settle this with a Latin etymological 
dictionary.  My Latin dictionary, which doesn't include 
etymologies, says "arctos" uncapitalized is 'North Pole', 
'north wind', 'night', and capitalized means 'the Great and 
Little Bear (double constellation)', although in Jeff's case 
one cannot consider capitalization.  My English dictionary 
give the etymology of "Arcturus" as Greek 'arktouros' "Bear 
watcher".

> IIRC, Leonell Strong claimed to have decrypted several words that 
> subsequently turned out to be much later coinings than his claimed date 
> - all partly interpretative decryptions (whether from inherent systemic 
> ambiguity, or from choosing multiple code-tables) which work backwards 
> from cribs share this same risk...

	Yes, but see above.

Dennis
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