• CombatWombat@feddit.online
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    1 month ago

    Sputnik is a fun word in Russian. It comes from the prefix s- (with), the suffix -nik (one who), and the root -put- (path). A sputnik, then, is someone or something who travels a path with you, and it is also a model of train (because it travels with the tracks) and a word for spouse (because they travel your life’s path with you).

        • CombatWombat@feddit.online
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          1 month ago

          If the “pa” part of “companion” comes from path it’s basically exactly the same: “s” and “co” are both “with” and “nik” and “ion” are similar noun endings.

          • balsoft@lemmy.ml
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            1 month ago

            If the “pa” part of “companion” comes from path

            It doesn’t though, it comes from French compagnon/compaignon and then Latin com (with) + panis (bread). It probably originally meant “someone with whom you share bread (eat together)”.

            And actually, looking at wiktionary, Old English had a word “ġefēra” (with the same meaning) which is constructed very similarly to “спутник”: ge (‘with’, still the same prefix in german e.g. ‎Gebrüder) + fera (‘to go’/‘to fare’, e.g. in seafaring)

      • CombatWombat@feddit.online
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        1 month ago

        I might translate it that way in some contexts, but if you told me Lewis and Clark were “sputniks” I’d assume you meant they got married in secret, rather than that they were explorers.

        • SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml
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          1 month ago

          It’s strange they called it a ‘companion’ of any sort since it was the sole first satellite in space

          • RustySharp@programming.dev
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            1 month ago

            As in, a companion to the planet.

            Moons are satellites.

            Satellite: from Latin satellitem (nominative satelles) “an attendant” upon a distinguished person; “a body-guard, a courtier; an assistant”

    • xziñik@feddit.cl
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      1 month ago

      i find that incredibly fascinating and also so emotional like pure poetry in just one word, neat

    • balsoft@lemmy.ml
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      1 month ago

      I’m pretty sure the model of train is a proper name and it’s named after the satellite. I don’t think I would describe any train as a literal “sputnik” of the rails.

      Also Russian is full of composite words like that. “Explorer” in russian would be “исследователь” (issledovatel’) - ис (completely) + след (trace/footstep) + оват (make, imbue) + ель (he who). Literally it would be “he who makes (places) completely (covered in) footsteps”