Cytherean
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Cytherean /sɪθəˈriːən/[1] is an adjective literally meaning of Cythera (Latin Cytherēa, from the Greek adjective Κυθέρεια Kythereia, from Κύθηρα Kythēra 'Cythera'). Cythera is a small Greek island, southeast of the Peloponnesus, and a legendary birthplace of the goddess Aphrodite (Venus). The word Cytherean was first applied to the goddess and later, due to word taboo, to the planet Venus that had been named after the goddess.
When planetary scientists began to have a need to discuss details of the planets, a need arose for generally accepted adjectives. As the planets had traditionally been associated with gods in classical mythology, there were commonly used adjectives that already related to some characteristic of the gods; for example, Mars and "martial" (warlike), Saturn and "saturnine" (gloomy). A consensus arose to use a slightly modified form - "Martian" for Mars, "Saturnian" for Saturn - that avoided these existing connotations.[2]
In the case of Venus, however, the traditional adjective would have been "Venereal" or "Venerial", which was strongly associated with sex (eg as in venereal disease), and the alternative term "Venerean"/"Venerian" (/vɪˈnɪəriən/)[3] was felt by many astronomers to be too similar, and was generally avoided. The Greek name for Venus was Aphrodite; an adjective derived from that name would be "Aphrodisian" /æfroʊˈdɪziən/,[4] or "Aphrodisial", which was again avoided due to a similarity to "aphrodisiac".[2] A consensus arose to use "Cytherian" or "Cytherean"; Cytherēa had been used in Greek mythology as an alternative name for Aphrodite, derived from the legend that she had been born from the sea and emerged on the island of Cythera.[5][2]
The term "Venusian" /vɪˈnjuːʒ(i)ən/ was not originally popular as it was seen as clumsy; Sagan referred to it in 1966 as "a barbarism, comparable to 'Marsian', 'Jupiterian' or 'Earthian'.".[2] However, practices shifted over the years, and in the 21st century "Venusian" is now the form most commonly used, with "Cytherean" less common.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ For pronunciation, see "Cytherean". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ a b c d Shklovsky, I.S.; Sagan, Carl (1966). Intelligent Life in the Universe. Holden-Day. pp. 316–318.
- ^ For pronunciation, see "Venerean". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.) or "Venerian". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ For pronunciation, see "aphrodisian". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ M. Heydari-Malayeri, An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics English-French-Persian.
