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this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
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Ask Lemmy
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Maybe you were just deliberately baiting for this, but no!
Helicopter's etymology actually breaks down into helico and pter. Helico being cognate with helix, and pter being "flying", from the same root as pterodactyl (flying finger).
Great, and now I want a heliodactyl.
etymology jokes on Lemmy.... ive Waited for this day for so long
Super interesting.
Does that mean that we're pronouncing either helicopter or pterodactyl wrong? We don't say the 'pter' parts the same way I think?
nah there's no "wrong" for a common native pronunciation. but for silent p- words specifically, the /pt/ and /ps/ consonant clusters just don't occur at the start of words in English. so the p goes silent in those words. pterodactyl, psychology. but in languages like Greek and German they do occur!
Depends on whether the o is before the p or after the r.