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[nerdfury.livejournal.com]

Sorry I'm late! This one is a good word for authors to remember!

Hamartia [ham-ar-shee-ah, shuh]
noun

Definition
The fault or error which entails the destruction of the tragic hero.

Etymology
From a Greek word, meaning fault, failure, guilt. Unfortunately, Greek letters don't copy so well into LJ so I haven't included it here.

First seen
1789 T. Twining Aristotle's Treat. Poetry 308 Dacier confounds himself and his readers in his note about Thyestes. He mistakes Aristotle's sense of hamartia.

Usage
Tordak the Mighty was pretty pissed when he pulled his fatal hamartia out of the hat. I mean, that Achilles guy got a tendon on his foot, Samson pulled out his hair, and Harry Dresden got a coin wih a demon inside - but, really, this was a little open to abuse.. anything blue? REALLY?

Comments

[nerdfury.livejournal.com]

You may be right on the pronunciation thing! I had a look at the IPA chart, and the syllables are (and I believe these are the technical terms, so don't get too confused): H, upside-downey E, primary stress, M, weird A, hourglassy thingy, T, weird I, upside-downey E.

The T is a straight forward T sound in two, sting or bet, but the I and upside-downey E is either I in sit plus A in about, or an 'ear' dipthong.

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

I am amused that the English definition of the word carries over the classic misreading of what Aristotle was trying to say.

(ObNarratologyGeekery: Aristotle was pointing not to a weakness that's distinct from other aspects of the hero's character, like Achilles's heel, but that quality in his character, which can be good or bad, that causes his downfall. In his schema, Oedipus Tyrannus is the cleanest, more archetypal tragedy because it most clearly shows that those qualities that make him a good ruler -- his drive to learn things, his tendency to quick, decisive actions -- are precisely what cause him to uncover the reveal that leads to his fall, and a generation earlier to set things on this course.)

---L.

[nerdfury.livejournal.com]

It's not the only screwed around word, either! The word 'toxic' comes from the Greek approximation of toxicum, meaning 'of or pertaining to the bow.'

I believe it comes from the legend of the Twelve Labours of Hercules, specifically his.. second? Where he killed the Hydra and used its blood as poison for his arrows.

Although the term had nothing to do with poison.

[hamartian.livejournal.com]

I love this word, as you might guess from my username.