This week's theme
Eponyms

This week's words
mentor
nestor
tartar
hector
satyr

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(HEK-tuhr)

MEANING:

noun: A bully or a blusterer.
verb tr., intr.: To bully or to bluster.

ETYMOLOGY:

After Hector, a Trojan hero in Greek mythology. He was killed by Achilles. The name is derived from Greek hektor (holding fast). In the mid-1600s the term was applied to hoodlums on London streets. Earliest documented use: before 1387.

NOTES:

Hector is a brave and dutiful character, but unfortunately his name is now sullied in the language. Paris's abduction of Helen brought war to Troy, yet he now refuses to fight and instead spends time with Helen. In the painting Hector admonishes Paris who then trades his wreath for his helmet.

USAGE:

"Older children pulled at my beard, Jewish children hectored me with eligibility questions."
Tom Chiarella; A Man's Guide to the Holidays; Esquire (New York); Dec 2011.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: