begin quoting Todd Walton as of Wed, Jun 22, 2005 at 04:08:42PM -0700: > On 6/22/05, Stewart Stremler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > So a meteor may be a streak of light, but it's not ONLY a streak of light. > > I don't know... Looking at the following page: > > http://www.google.com/search?q=define:meteor > > I see several definitions that say it's *only* the light, and several > that say it's the light *or* the rock.
Yup. I believe wikipedia implies that it's just the light, and then uses the term in the sense of the rock that is responsible for the light. > As a layman, I would guess > that "meteor" refers to physical material. So, all in all, I'm ...which would be the rock... > willing to bet that "meteor" means only the light, and that calling > the rock a meteor is in the class of Common Mistake. What, a layman's interpretation is likely to be wrong? Just because it's a layman's interpretation? > Besides, why would you use the same word to refer to the rock and to > the light it gives off? (I don't think it's the rock that's giving off the light, but rather that the rock is causing the light...no matter.) Because English does that. An action or effect is often called by the same word as the cause or result. When you wreck a car, you end up with a wreck. When you launch a firework, you ooh and ah at the firework. When you vomit into a bucket, you end up with a bucket of vomit. etc. etc. > If the rock is meteor, then why wouldn't they > just call the light light? Probably, calling the light meteor came > first. Er, you didn't follow the link I posted to http://www.bartleby.com/64/C004/035.html where it describes the history of the term? "Meteor" originally meant "any atmospheric phenomena". Thus, appeals to the "original meaning" to restrict the term run afoul of the /actual/ original meaning, where wind was a sort of meteor.... -Stewart "Be careful about invoking original meanings of words." Stremler
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