Hong Kong Chinese said:
Etymology of Passion from Merriam-Webster
Link:
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=passion
I didn’t realize that “passion” has the meaning of suffering after reading a report by on-line news.
Link:
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/040320/12/y6p0.html
It’s in Chinese, however I am trying to put in rudimentary English.
The word of Passion is easily related to romantic, ardour, but in fact it also means suffering, humble, beyond the love of human beings. The story begins from a farm. After Jesus and his twelve disciples have eaten the last dinner, Peter, Jacob and John follow Jesus to the farm to pray. Jesus is resisting the temptation of the Satan, but He is betrayed by Judas and is brought back to Jerusalem for trying.
I smile that lovers love in passion, when love is torn. One side or both sides are in suffering. Latin was the most sage people!
P.S. Sir Ronbee, Thank you for your compliment which I am not deserving on the other thread. And MikeNewYork too
As you have discovered, the word "passion" has several meanings. It even has one that is archaic (no longer used) that is a direct opposite of one of its current meanings. When "passion" is applied to the suffering of Jesus, it is usually capitalized.
8 entries found for passion.
pas·sion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (pshn)
n.
1. A powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger.
2. Ardent love.
3. a. Strong sexual desire; lust.
b. The object of such love or desire.
4. a. Boundless enthusiasm: His skills as a player don't quite match his passion for the game.
b. The object of such enthusiasm: Soccer is her passion.
5. An abandoned display of emotion, especially of anger: He's been known to fly into a passion without warning.
6. Passion
a.The sufferings of Jesus in the period following the Last Supper and including the Crucifixion, as related in the New Testament.
b. A narrative, musical setting, or pictorial representation of Jesus's sufferings.
7. Archaic. Martyrdom.
8. Archaic. Passivity.
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[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin passi, passin-, sufferings of Jesus or a martyr, from Late Latin, physical suffering, martyrdom, sinful desire, from Latin, an undergoing, from passus, past participle of pat, to suffer. See p(i)- in Indo-European Roots.]
