Desirable Stars

The stars are quite literally desirable. That’s because the roots that make up the word desirable mean “to long for a star, heavenly body, or constellation.” Astronomy has a rich vocabulary: star, planet, galaxy, and many other words. Many of them also have non-astronomical meanings. A “galaxy of stars,” for example, might refer to an auditorium full of actors – though how many of them can be considered “stars” is a matter of opinion. Some words with heavenly connections seem obvious. “Lunatic” refers to the Moon. It comes from an ancient belief that the Moon’s influence could make people behave strangely. And “jovial” – to be full of good cheer – means “of Jupiter;” in ancient astrology, the planet was thought to exert a happy influence. Other words have more surprising connections to the stars. Consider “consider.” Its roots mean “to observe the stars.” “Sider” is from a Latin word that means “star, heavenly body, or constellation.” In fact, many words with some version of the root have a link to the stars – including desire. Disaster also comes from ancient astrology. It meant an unfavorable position for a star or planet. “Aster” was a Latin word for star. The word “influence” appeared in the 14th century. Dictionaries say it meant “streaming ethereal power from the stars when in certain positions, acting upon the character or destiny of men” – a good description of modern-day “influencers.” Script by Damond Benningfield