Help me coin a pseudo Ancient Greek word

sunandshadow · Aug 6, 2013

You know those nypmhs: dryads, naiads, oreads...? I need a kind of nymph which is associated with life, biology, fertility (more of animals than of crops). The two Ancient Greek root words for life seem to be bio and zoa. How do I properly combine this with the -ds ending to get a type of nymph? Zoads? Biods? Neither of those is a particularly pretty-sounding word... :/

areteus · Aug 7, 2013

The reason they don't sound very good is because they are used in the modern world - zoology and biology - and that detracts from the 'ancient sound' of the words.

Does it have to be Greek? Have you considered Latin (though that also gives you Bestia which is also a well known term, though Pecus specifically refers to cattle or beasts of the field so that may work)?

Corussa · Aug 7, 2013

Hmm, it is a bit tricky to come up with something that sounds right. My two ideas so far - which aren't very good! - are:

Sykad (using the word for breath, life, etc., from which we get psyche)

Forad (from the Greek word meaning 'that which is brought forth' among other things - i.e. to go with the fertile aspect)

frimble3 · Aug 7, 2013

How about 'Panead', or 'Paniad'? I don't know what the correct form would be, from Pan's association with flocks (esp. goats) and shepherds?

King Neptune · Aug 7, 2013

You mean the Zoeads?

sunandshadow · Aug 7, 2013

King Neptune said:
You mean the Zoeads?

Are zoeads something that already exists? Because when I googled the word I got nothing relevant - someone's username and lots of zoids (which are like transformers).

Corussa · Aug 7, 2013

I haven't heard of them either, but they make me think of a band...

'And now... Zoe and the Zoeads!'

*skulks off again*

WeaselFire · Aug 7, 2013

There's always the Zonads! You just don't want to kick them...

Bions occurred to me first, but it sounds like a Star Trek race. Maybe "Proteids" is a better one.

Jeff

MythMonger · Aug 7, 2013

Dionysus had a lot of animal or "animal like" followers (satyrs and centaurs)

So maybe dionads?

King Neptune · Aug 7, 2013

sunandshadow said:
Are zoeads something that already exists? Because when I googled the word I got nothing relevant - someone's username and lots of zoids (which are like transformers).

I just shot from the hip, but the form and base are reasonable, and who knows there may have been zoeads in the past.
There are about 6800 result from the search; that's pretty good for a word that I just dremed up:
https://www.google.com/#bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=4c35484cfb0eb3d5&q=zoead

Xelebes · Aug 7, 2013

Something that popped in my head:

haead, a creature that calls or beckons (hop) (based on the same root as the wight)

Oreo1909 · Aug 7, 2013

Annoxiums - they cure ills/poisons/maledictions

Help me coin a pseudo Ancient Greek word

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

areteus

Corussa

I fight like a dairy farmer

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

King Neptune

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal

Corussa

I fight like a dairy farmer

WeaselFire

Benefactor Member

MythMonger

Willing to Learn

King Neptune

Xelebes

Delerium ex Ennui

Oreo1909