Fun With English (and Spanish)
I passed by a psychic's shop today, and the sign read "Lecturas de Tarot." Of course that means "Tarot Readings," but I had to think for a minute to remember why the Spanish word would be "Lecturas" rather than "Leyendos."
Way back when universities were just getting started, a "lecture" was literally a "reading." Rather than writing up his own notes or lesson plans, a professor would actually read to the class - usually a passage from a classical authority on the subject. If you were studying anatomy, you took readings from Galen.
Likewise a "lectern" was not originally a pedestal for a speaker to stand behind. It was a high table tilted to hold a book at a convenient angle for reading. Those big handwritten books were heavy, and no one would want to carry one around while he read to the class.
And to think I thought psychics' shops weren't good for anything.
Way back when universities were just getting started, a "lecture" was literally a "reading." Rather than writing up his own notes or lesson plans, a professor would actually read to the class - usually a passage from a classical authority on the subject. If you were studying anatomy, you took readings from Galen.
Likewise a "lectern" was not originally a pedestal for a speaker to stand behind. It was a high table tilted to hold a book at a convenient angle for reading. Those big handwritten books were heavy, and no one would want to carry one around while he read to the class.
And to think I thought psychics' shops weren't good for anything.