Editing International scientific vocabulary

{{short description|Scientific and specialized words in current use in several modern languages}}
'''International scientific vocabulary''' ('''ISV''') comprises scientific and specialized words whose language of origin may or may not be certain, but which are in current use in several modern languages (that is, [[translingualism|translingually]], whether in [[wikt:naturalize#linguistics|naturalized]], [[loanword]], or [[calque]] forms). 

The name "international scientific vocabulary" was first used by [[Philip Gove]] in ''[[Webster's Third New International Dictionary]]'' (1961).<ref>McArthur, Tom (editor), ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language.'' Oxford University Press, 1992.</ref> As noted by [[David Crystal]],<ref>Crystal, David, ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language.'' Cambridge University Press, 1995.</ref> science is an especially productive field for new coinages. It is also especially predisposed to immediate translingual sharing of words owing to its very nature: scientists working in many countries and languages, reading each other's latest articles in [[scientific journal]]s (via foreign language skills, translation help, or both), and eager to apply any reported advances to their own context.<!--[[WP:BLUE]]-->

==Instances==
According to ''Webster's Third'', "some ISV words (like [[Ploidy|haploid]]) have been created by taking a word with a rather general and simple meaning from one of the languages of antiquity, usually [[Latin]] and [[Greek language|Greek]], and conferring upon it a very specific and complicated meaning for the purposes of modern [[Science|scientific]] discourse." An ISV word is typically a [[classical compound]] or a derivative which "gets only its raw materials, so to speak, from antiquity." Its morphology may vary across languages.

The online version of Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged (Merriam-Webster, 2002)<ref>The online version is available by subscription.</ref> adds that the ISV "consists of words or other linguistic forms current in two or more languages" that "differ from [[Neo-Latin|New Latin]] in being adapted to the structure of the individual languages in which they appear."<ref>"International scientific vocabulary." [http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002.]  Accessed July 11, 2006.</ref>  In other words, ISV terms are often made with Greek, Latin, or other [[Classical compound|combining forms]], but each language pronounces the resulting neo-lexemes [[Hobson-Jobson#Law of Hobson-Jobson|within its own phonemic "comfort zone"]], and makes morphological connections using its normal morphological system. In this respect, ISV can be viewed as heavily borrowing [[loanword]]s from [[Neo-Latin]].

McArthur<ref>McArthur, Tom, [http://kdictionaries.com/lia-intro.html "Asian Lexicography: Past, Present, and Prospective", ''Lexicography in Asia'' (Introduction). Password Publishers Limited, 1998.] Accessed January 17, 2007.</ref> characterizes ISV words and morphemes as "[[International word|translinguistic]]", explaining that they operate "in many languages that serve as mediums for education, culture, science, and technology." Besides European languages, such as Russian, Swedish, English, and Spanish, ISV lexical items also function in Japanese, Malay, Philippine languages, and other Asian languages. According to McArthur, no other set of words and morphemes is so international. 

It is not always practically relevant, to any concerns except [[philology]] and the [[history of science]], which language any particular ISV term first appeared in, as its cognate naturalized counterparts in other languages are effectively [[wikt:coeval#Adjective|coeval]] with it for most practical scientific purposes, as well as being self-evidently equivalent in [[wikt:surface analysis|surface analysis]].<!--[[WP:BLUE]]; for a representative self-evident example among thousands of others, see for example [[wikt:immunology#Translations]], or a typical INN tuple such as imdevimab/imdevimabum/imdévimab/imdevimab/имдевимаб ([[international nonproprietary name]]s).--> This characteristic is corollary to the very nature of science: it is predisposed to immediate translingual sharing of words, as scientists, working in many countries and languages, are perennially reading each other's latest articles in [[scientific journal]]s (via foreign language skills, translation help, or both), and eager to apply any reported advances to their own context.<!--[[WP:BLUE]]--> This theme applies even regardless of whether each instance of scientific exchange is openly collaborative (as in [[open science]]) or is driven by [[espionage]] or [[industrial espionage]] (as for example regarding weapons systems development).<!--[[WP:BLUE]]; an interesting example is that the name ''[[plutonium]]'' for element 94 reached various countries clandestinely before it was published.-->

The ISV is one of the concepts behind the development and standardization of the [[constructed language]] called [[Interlingua]]. Scientific and medical terms in Interlingua are largely of Greco-Latin origin, but, like most Interlingua words, they appear in a wide range of languages. Interlingua's vocabulary is established using a group of ''control languages'' selected as they radiate words into, and absorb words from, a large number of other languages. A ''prototyping'' technique then selects the most recent common ancestor of each eligible Interlingua word or affix. The word or affix takes a contemporary form based on the control languages. This procedure is meant to give Interlingua the most generally international vocabulary possible.<ref>Gode, Alexander, ''[[Interlingua-English Dictionary|Interlingua: A Dictionary of the International Language]]''. New York: Storm Publishers, 1951.</ref>

==Words and word roots that have different meanings from those in the original languages==
{{Anchor|Words with different meanings}}This is a list of scientific words and [[root (linguistics)|word roots]] which have different meanings from those in the original languages.

{| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | Word or root
! scope="col" | Scientific meaning
! scope="col" | Original language
! scope="col" | Original word
! scope="col" | Original meaning
! scope="col" | Notes
|-
| andro-, -ander
| [[stamen]], [[man]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|ἀνήρ}}, {{wikt-lang|grc|ἀνδρός}}
| [[man]]
| rowspan="2"|in flowers of flowering plants
|-
| gyno-, -gyne
| [[Gynoecium|carpel]], [[woman]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|γυνή}}, {{wikt-lang|grc|γυναικός}}
| [[woman]]
|-
| capno-
| [[carbon dioxide]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|καπνός}}
| [[smoke]]
| 
|-
| electro-
| [[electricity]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|ἤλεκτρον}}
| [[amber]]
| via [[static electricity]] from rubbing amber
|-
| -itis
| [[inflammation]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|-ῖτις}}
| [[wikt:pertain|pertaining]] to
|
|-
| [[thorax]]
| [[Thorax|chest]] (anatomy) 
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|θώραξ}}
| [[breastplate]]
| 
|-
| [[toxic|toxo-]]
| [[poison]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|τόξον}}
| [[Bow and arrow|bow (weapon)]]
| via 'poisoned arrow'.  It means 'bow' in ''[[Toxodon]]'' and 'arc' in ''[[isotoxal figure|isotoxal]]''.
|-
| macro-
| big
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|μακρός}}
| long
| 
|-
| colspan="6"|'''In names of biological taxa'''
|-
| -ceras
| [[Ammonoidea|ammonite]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|κέρας}}
| [[horn (anatomy)|horn]]
| via resemblance to a [[domestic sheep|ram]]'s horn
|-
| -crinus
| [[crinoid]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|κρίνον|κρίνος}}
| [[Lilium|lily]]
| extracted from name "[[crinoid]]"
|-
| grapto-
| [[Graptolithina|graptolite]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|γραπτός}}
| written
| via resemblance of fossil
|-
| -gyrinus
| [[Labyrinthodontia|labyrinthodont]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|γυρῖνος}}
| [[tadpole]]
| 
|-
| -lestes
| [[Predation|predator]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|λῃστής}}
| [[Robbery|robber]]
| 
|-
| -mimus
| [[Ornithomimidae|ornithomimid]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|μῖμος}}
| [[Mime artist|mime]]
| extracted from name ''[[Ornithomimus]]'' = 'bird mimic'
|-
| -mys
| [[rodent]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|μῦς}}
| [[mouse]]
| including in ''[[Phoberomys]]''
|-
| -saurus
| [[reptile]], [[dinosaur]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|σαῦρος}}
| [[lizard]]
| 
|-
| -stega,
-stege
| [[stegocephalia]]n
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|στέγη}}
| [[roof]]
| via their [[cranium]] roofs as fossils
|-
| -suchus,<br />-champsus
| [[crocodilia]]n
| Ancient<br />Egyptian
| {{wikt-lang|grc|σοῦχος}},<br />{{wikt-lang|grc|χάμψα}}
| colspan="2"| Quoted by ancient Greek authors as Egyptian words for 'crocodile'
|-
| therium
| usually [[mammal]]
| Greek
| {{wikt-lang|grc|θηρίον}}
| [[wiktionary:beast|beast]], [[animal]]
| 
|-
| colspan="6"|'''Names of bones'''
|-
| [[femur]]
| thighbone
| Latin
| {{wikt-lang|la|femur}}
| [[thigh]]
| [[Classical Latin]] [[Genitive case|genitive]] often {{lang|la|feminis}}
|-
| [[fibula]]
| (a leg bone)
| Latin
| {{wikt-lang|la|fībula}}
| [[brooch]]
| tibia & fibula looked like a brooch and its pin
|-
| [[radius (bone)|radius]]
| (an arm bone)
| Latin
| {{wikt-lang|la|radius}}
| [[spoke]]
| 
|-
| [[tibia]]
| shinbone
| Latin
| {{wikt-lang|la|tībia}}
| [[flute]]
| via animal tibias modified into flutes
|-
| [[ulna]]
| (an arm bone)
| Latin
| {{wikt-lang|la|ulna}}
| [[elbow]], [[cubit]] measure
| 
|-
| colspan="6"|'''Other'''
|-
| [[foetus]] / fetus
| unborn baby
| Medical Latin
| {{wikt-lang|la|fētus}} (var. {{wikt-lang|la|foetus}})
| As [[Latin declension#First- and second-declension adjectives|1st/2nd decl. adjective]], 'pregnant'<br/>As [[Latin declension#Nouns#Fourth declension (u stems)|4th decl. noun]], 'the young of animals'
| 
|}

==Words and word roots that have one meaning from Latin and another meaning from Greek==
This is a list of scientific words and [[root (linguistics)|word roots]] which have one meaning from Latin and another meaning from Greek.
{| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | Word or root
! scope="col" | Scientific meaning<br/>from Latin
! scope="col" | Example
! scope="col" | Latin word
! scope="col" | Latin meaning
! scope="col" | Scientific meaning<br/>from Greek
! scope="col" | Example
! scope="col" | Greek word
! scope="col" | Greek meaning
! scope="col" | Notes
|-
| alg-
| [[Algae|alga]]
| alga
| {{wikt-lang|la|alga}}
| [[seaweed]]
| [[pain]]
| [[analgesic]]
| {{wikt-lang|grc|ἄλγος}}
| pain
|
|-
| crema-
| [[Combustion|burn]]
| [[cremation]]
| {{wikt-lang|la|cremāre}}
| to burn ([[transitivity (grammatical category)|tr.]])
| hang, be suspended
| [[cremaster (disambiguation)|cremaster]]
| {{wikt-lang|grc|κρεμάννυμι}}
| I hang (tr.)
|
|}

==Other words and word roots with two meanings==
This is a list of other scientific words and [[root (linguistics)|word roots]] which have two meanings.
{| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | Word or root
! scope="col" | Scientific meaning 1
! scope="col" | Example
! scope="col" | Origin
! scope="col" | Original meaning
! scope="col" | Scientific meaning 2
! scope="col" | Example
! scope="col" | Origin
! scope="col" | Original meaning
! scope="col" | Notes
|-
| uro-
| [[tail]]
| ''[[Uromastyx]]''
| Greek {{wikt-lang|grc|οὐρά}}
| tail
| [[urine]]
| [[urology]]
| Greek {{lang|grc|οὐρῶ}}
| urine
|
|-
| mento-
| the [[mind]]
| [[mind|mental]]
| Latin {{wikt-lang|la|mēns}}
| the mind
| (of the) chin
| [[Chin augmentation|mentoplasty]]
| Latin {{wikt-lang|la|mentum}}
| chin
|
|}

==Other differences==
Another difference between scientific terms and classical Latin and Greek is that many compounded scientific terms do not [[elision|elide]] the [[inflection]] vowel at the end of a [[root (linguistics)|root]] before another root or prefix that starts with a vowel, e.g. [[gastroenteritis]]; but elision happens in [[gastrectomy]] (not *''gastroectomy'').

The Greek word {{wikt-lang|grc|τέρας}} ({{lang|grc|τέρατο-}}) = "[[monster]]" is usually used to mean "monster (abnormal)" (e.g. [[teratology]], teratogen), but some biological names use it to mean "monster (enormous)" (e.g. the extinct animals ''[[Teratornis]]'' (a [[condor]] with a 12-foot wingspan) and ''[[Terataspis]]'' (a [[trilobite]] 2 feet long)).

==Haplology==
A feature affecting clarity in seeing a scientific word's components is [[haplology]], i.e. removing one of two identical or similar syllables that meet at the junction point of a compound word. Examples are:
*[[appendectomy]] = {{wikt-lang|la|appendix}}, {{wikt-lang|la|appendicis}}, (Latin for "[[appendix (anatomy)|appendix]]") + ''[[wikt:-ectomy|-ectomy]]'' (ultimately from Greek {{wikt-lang|grc|τομή}}, "a cutting")
*[[Dracohors]] = {{wikt-lang|la|draco}}, {{wikt-lang|la|draconis}}, "Latin for [[dragon]]" + {{wikt-lang|la|cohors}}, "[[cohort (military unit)|cohort]]"
*[[Hapalemur]] = ''hapalo-'' (Greek {{wikt-lang|grc|ἁπαλός}}, "gentle") + [[lemur]]

==See also==
*[[Binomial nomenclature]]
*[[Classical compound]]
*[[English words of Greek origin]]
*[[List of Greek and Latin roots in English|Greek and Latin roots in English]]
*[[Hybrid word]]
*[[Internationalism (linguistics)]]
*[[Latinisation of names|Latinization (literature)]]
*[[Lexicography]]
*[[Language-for-specific-purposes dictionary]] (LSP dictionary)
*[[Medical dictionary]]
*[[Medical terminology]]
*[[Contemporary Latin|Scientific Latin]]
*[[Scientific terminology]]
*[[Scientific notation]]
*[[Systematic name]]
*[[Terminology]]

===Lists===
*[[List of abbreviations used in medical prescriptions]]
*[[List of Latin abbreviations]]
*[[List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names]]
*[[List of medical roots, suffixes and prefixes]]
*[[List of Germanic and Latinate equivalents in English|List of Germanic and Latinate equivalents]]
*[[List of Latin words with English derivatives]]
*[[List of Greek and Latin roots in English]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.winternet.com/~chuckg/dictionary.html Dictionary of Botanical Epithets]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070823220828/http://cdsjcl.f2g.net/derivatives.html List of Latin Words with Derivatives to English]
*''Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language 1998'' entry on [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-INTERNATIONALSCNTFCVCBLRY.html International Scientific Vocabulary]

{{lexicography}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:International Scientific Vocabulary}}
[[Category:Lexis (linguistics)]]
[[Category:Interlingua]]
[[Category:Scientific nomenclature| ]]
[[Category:Scientific terminology| ]]