[MR] Public use of the term "medieval"

[jbrmm266 at aol.com]

Mungo Napier wrote:


?. . . because someone objects to the "evil" in "medieval" and decides we are a dangerous cult.?



There is NO linguistic connection between the "-eval" in Medieval and "evil."

The -"eval" suffix refers to a time period.? It's not used very commonly.?? The only other word I know offhand that uses it is "coeval," which means about the same as "contemporary."? 

The "medi-"prefix means literally "between" or "in the middle of."? The Mediterranean Sea is literally the sea "in the middle of the land."

"Medieval" means literally the Middle Age or the Middle Period.

Anyone who encounters the problem of confusing "-eval" with "evil"?can point that out.? There is no evil in Medieval.? 

It *was* orignally a somewhat pejoritive term, though.? It was coined by historians who considered the period in between the fall of Rome and the beginning of the Renaissance to be just that:? a period "in-between," during which there was not much new or interesting.? That was their assessment, which does not tally with the current one.? The name has stuck, however.

Your servant aye
Donal