The little fleshy appendage hanging from the back of your soft palate is called the “little grape” in Latin. As part of the palate the uvula helps seal off your nasal cavity from your throat cavity during swallowing. This works very well, except when you vomit! When the doctor asks you to say “aaah”, he or she wants to see the uvula in the midline. If it is deviated or pulled to one side, this may be a sign of paralysis of one side of your throat muscles.

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“To make an X” (Latin). A decussation is an intersection of pathways in the form of an X. Most nerve pathways between our brain and spinal cord cross over at some point. This accounts for why each side of our brain (two cerebral hemispheres) has control over the opposite side of our body. In anatomical language this is called a contralateral relationship (opposite sides). This information is useful in determining the location of a stroke. Paralysis of the right side of the body would mean that a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), the fancier name for stroke, had occurred in the left cerebral hemisphere. “Decem” is the Latin word for the number ten, or “deca” in Greek. Hence, decussation literally means to draw the Roman numeral for ten.  December is also the tenth month of an early Roman calendar.

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“Vinegar cup” in Latin. The hip joint is made up of a deep rounded socket, the acetabulum, on the side of the pelvis and the round head of the femur (thigh bone). It is a very stable joint that is a compromise in structure which trades off the superior mobility, but less stability, of our shoulder joint for the task of supporting our body weight while walking. The Romans used a cup-like container for vinegar for the table and as a unit measure of volume. The same root, acetum, is found in acetic acid, the essential ingredient of vinegar. At the time, the primary source for vinegar was sour wine which is the exact meaning of “vinegar” in Latin!

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“Cross-shaped” in Latin. In the knee joint are two ligaments that cross over each other, the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments. These ligaments help stabilize the joint, in particular, to prevent the femur (thigh bone) from slipping too far forward or backward on the tibia (leg bone). The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is frequently torn in football injuries when a leg firmly planted in the turf encounters a flying tackle. The player typically experiences “excruciating” pain. Excruciating, crucify and crucifixion all share the same root meaning referring to a cross and to the associated pain and suffering.

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The phrenic nerves control the diaphragm, our major muscle of respiration (breathing). From the Greek, phrenic means both diaphragm and mind. The ancient Greeks believed that the diaphragm was the seat of our emotions. Sound farfetched? Have you ever “heaved a sigh” of sadness or relief? The same stem is found in schizophrenic and, less obviously, in frenetic, meaning extremely agitated or maniacal. The latter word underwent a transformation from the Greek word phrenitikos. The ancient Romans had a related word in the Latin, mentum, which means both mind and chin!  Maybe, not so farfetched, hmmm? Ever rub your chin while thinking? Perhaps the ancients thought massaging our chin stimulated thought. Are you familiar with Rodin’s statue of The Thinker, the sitting man with his chin resting on his hand? Conjure up a “mental” image!

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Vagus means “wandering” in Latin. This aptly named nerve (there are a pair of them) meanders from our brainstem, down the sides of our neck giving branches to our palate, larynx and pharynx, through our chest cavity providing branches to the heart and lungs, and into our abdominal cavity providing branches to most of our digestive tract. Vagal stimulation to the stomach enhances acid secretion, peristalsis (churning activity) and emptying into the small intestine. Vagal branches also stimulate secretions and peristalsis in our intestines. The same root meaning of vagus is found in the common words vague, vagrant and vagabond.

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