Yesterday I enjoyed a reflection that I heard on the radio about the verb think in Latin.
The first thing to keep in mind is that with the verb “To think” the same happens with the verb “To know”; in both cases, pass a physical meaning to an intellectual meaning: in the case of "Saber" (to know) (taste), it switch to know (wisdom).
To think in Latin is: Penso, pensas, pensare…., that means: Weigh accurately, calibrate; and it change to: Judge, assess, estimate, consider….and from it, in Spanish we use: To think.
But the verb “Penso” comes from the verb “Pendeo” (Pendeo, pendes, pendere), that means: “Estar colgado” (Hanging) and came to the Spanish as “Pender” –for example, we have the expression: “Pendemos de un hilo” = “We are hanging by a thread”. Also surely you have heard the word “Pendiente” (Earring)--. And also from “Pendere” comes “Pesar” (Weigh), that means in Latin: “Hang the scales of the balance”. Then, we have two actions: a physical action (to weigh) and an intellectual action (To think).
So, we can see that Pensar (To think) and Pesar (To weigh) are the same thing, because To think is to weigh arguments.
Before, when you buy something, the seller weighed it on a spring balance, because before you buy you need to think what is going to buy. And when the object is calibrated to buy, the seller delivers the goods, And what are you doing?....., you buy it and, for buying it, you have to pay it, spending money and so “Spend” comes in English from "Péndere". And also, something “Caro” in English is: “Expensive” –that means “too much Spending” and comes from the verb “Expender” (in Spanish and in the past) (To weigh and to sell). It was used for example to say “Expender a train ticket or a show ticket”).
But in front of the verb “To spend”, in English, in Spanish we say: “Pagar”, that comes from the verb of Latin “Paco” (Paco, pacas, pacare) and the “c” of pacare is changed by “g” and then it results “Pagar”. And Paco, pacas, pacare means “Calmar”; it comes from the verb “Paquis”. Ie, the seller gives the object to us, we pay him and then, he and we are in “peace”, because “Paquis” means “Appease”.
Anyway, although when we buy something we say we “gastamos”, when we spend too much money, we say we have done a “dispendio”, that comes from “Pendere”. And, when we have bouht food, we keep it in the larder (despensa). Also, in a pharmacy it is used “Dispensar” (Dispense) a drug.
Another word, used in Spanish and that comes from Latin, is “Pésame” (Condolence); it is also linked to weight, because “Pésame” means: “It weight to me”.
Well, here it finish the reflexion about thinking; I hope that you have liked it such as I did –at least, I have thought it before writing it--.
Till soon, kund regards,
Luis.
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