I have always been a fan of words that sound nothing like their spelling, and chaos is high up on that list. I remember originally thinking it must be pronounced "chaw-O-ss" but quickly realized it was "Kay-ah'ss". When I'm in a playful mood, I'll actually say it out loud the incorrect way, just to get some laughs or funny looks. Occasionally, with my deadpan delivery, I can get some quizzical looks about whether or not I'm serious in how I'm saying the word.
What I didn't realize is that chaos originates from Greek word meaning "gaping void," and was only later modified to mean the disorder and lack or organization we presently use it to describe. I did recall that it can also be used to describe from whence this universe came from, although I don't know how often that's used anyway. I just think it's a fun word to write, say and think about as it evokes - for me, at least - vivid imagery of confusion and disorder.
Nevertheless, today's entry - a full week after the previous one, shame on me! - is intended to hopefully be the antonym to your day (Labor Day) and your life right now. May everything be filled with a complete and utter lack of chaos.
This is David Wartik...word up!
While the Greek word for Chaos derives from the verb meaning "to gape", the noun form has historically had a meaning closer to "empty of form" - often a seething formless mass.
ReplyDeleteThe Hebrew phrase "tohu wa-bohu" or tohuvabohu has a similar connotation - it is the state of the universe before creation. Some argue that it means something like "confused emptiness" or "formless and empty" as in a vast expanse of dark water while others interpret it more in the modern sense of creation ex nihilo (out of nothing).