Why Latin?

Q

I want to learn Greek and Latin. Will it be helpful in the etymology of scientific terms and understanding of these terms?
https://www.quora.com/I-want-to-learn-Greek-and-Latin-Will-it-be-helpful-in-the-etymology-of-scientific-terms-and-understanding-of-these-terms/answer/Hans-Georg-Lundahl-2

Answer requested by

Lillian

Hans-Georg Lundahl

studied Latin at Lund University

Answered 3:37 pm, 6.V.2022

Yes.

But it will help you much more and on the other hand it is not necessary for just the scientific terms.

I take it, the word “expert” is not a scientific term, but a social one. Latin is very helpful in understanding that word, since in Classic Rome there were no such things as “experts” in general (some specific expertise areas existed, like Medicine or Carpentry). The word means “having experience” (in a matter, that being expressed by the genitive). Was that the kind of understanding you were looking for?

For my part, I wanted to read for instance the Eneid (haven’t gone beyond book VI) and St. Thomas Aquinas (have visited more than just the Summa, like works that exist in Latin only). That is something other than what you were looking for, if you think that’s a real gain, your motivation is somewhat better.

It has also been fairly useful for reading the Bible ... still is, for Vulgate. It's one of the early translations.

See also : The Real Crime of Tyndale : Justification without Intending Subsequent Works which should have been published on this blog./HGL