Feb. 29th, 2012

xiphias: (Default)
The etymology of "minute" and "second."

A degree of arc, or an hour of time is broken into sixty minute parts. That's "minute" with the accent on the second syllable, "my-NYOOT", as in "tiny". Then those sixty minute parts can be further broken into sixty second-order-minute parts.

It had honestly never occurred to me to consider the fact that "second" as in "one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi" and "second" as in "after first and before third" might be the same word.
xiphias: (Default)
IAN: Nicky is jumping around even more than usual today.
LIS: Well, yes. What day is it today?
IAN: February 29. Oh. Yeah.

Of course our cats have to leap around on Leap Day.

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