Editor's Corner

Today we continue with adjectives based on celestial bodies.

Note: I have made slight edits to shorten the content. The original can be found at DailyWritingTips.com in the article "7 Heavenly Bodies as Sources of Adjectives" by Mark Nichol.

Mars
Because of its belligerent-looking red glow, Mars was associated in ancient times with conflict, and the Romans named it after their god of war. The adjective martial (“martial law,” “martial arts,” court-martial) refers to war and fighting. [KC – Not to be confused with
marital, a completely different type of war and fighting.]

Mercury
Someone with an unpredictable or volatile personality is said to be mercurial, thanks to an association with Mercury, the swift messenger of the Latin gods. (The liquid element mercury, also known as quicksilver, was perhaps given that name because of its rapidly free-flowing quality.) But the adjective is also associated with eloquence and ingenuity, as well as larcenous behavior. Why? The god Mercury was considered the protector of thieves, as well as merchants and travelers, who would appeal to the deity to favor them with speed. The planet Mercury was so named because of its fast orbital velocity.

Moon
Like Terra, Luna, the Roman name for the Moon, seems to appear only in science fiction these days. But lunatic, meaning “foolish” or “insane,” is common, albeit mostly in the nonclinical sense. (Lunacy, another word for insanity, and the adjectival form derive from the onetime notion that phases of the Moon affect mental instability.) Lunar, however, is the adjectival form for scientific references to Earth’s natural satellite.

Kara Church | Senior Technical Editor

Symitar, A Jack Henry Company

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123