Re: Learning only one lexer made me blind to its hidden assumptions

El miércoles, 13 de julio de 2022 a las 5:25:39 UTC+2, luser droog
escribió:
> I think this difference in word choice has possibly some etymological
significance.
> Both word come from "catenary" which is the shape a rope or cord makes when
> you drape it over some spokes or frames or hooks or whatever. So, to
*catenate*
> is to hoist the string or rope up onto some hooks or poles so it makes that
> dangling *garland* kind of curve. So, it's focused on the *rope* as an
entity.
>
> *Concatenate* adds the prefix "con" meaning "with". I interpret this as
embellishing
> the rope with beads or light bulbs or something. So now we're stringing up
> a bunch of beads *together*, focusing on the hanging objects.
>
> [Lots of people agree with that etymology. Where do you think the Unix "cat"
command came from? -John]


Not wanting be pedantic, but according to Merrian Webster, catenate comes from
"Latin catenatus, past participle of catenare, from catena"; concatenare from
"Middle English, from Late Latin concatenatus, past participle of concatenare
to link together, from Latin com- + catena chain "; and catenary from "New
Latin catenaria, from Latin, feminine of catenarius of a chain, from catena".
So, the three words derive ultimately from catena (chain in Latin) and
catenary is not in the root of the others. Moreover, Merrian Webster dates in
circa 1623 the first known use of catenate, in 1598 the first known use of
concatenate, and in 1788 the first use of catenary.
[Thanks. I think we're done with this thread. -John]

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