And just like that, we’re at the end of season nine! How did that happen? I want to thank everyone who stayed with me for another season, everyone new who joined us this year and everyone who commented and reviewed the podcast. It feels great reading what you think and since this is a solo venture it’s great when I know you’re out there, listening. Thank you again and…on with our episode!

(Piano music) Hello, and welcome to Your Greek Word On A Sunday, a weekly, bite-size podcast for anyone curious on language, etymology and connections. I am your host, Emmanuela Lia and wherever you are in the world, if you want to entertain your brain for a few minutes, this is the podcast for you. Let's Go!

As this season comes to end I will leave you with the queen of Greek herbs! It smells fantastic , it goes with 99.9% of any Greek dish and it was of course created by the goddess Aphrodite! No, not really. But that’s how the myth goes! Aphrodite created this herb in her garden in mount Olympus to bring joy to humanity. It grows on mountains and its name comes from two words, όρος (oros) meaning ‘mountain’ and γάνα (gana) meaning ‘joy’. Because of that, Ancient Greeks would make wreaths out of it for weddings and in medieval times it was considered a ward against evil. There’s another plant in the same family that exists in Greece but it's also native to the UK and it’s called Marjoram. They are incredibly similar and people have been using it exactly as the Greeks where using theirs. In America the herb arrives with the Italian immigrants but it became very popular after WW2 when soldiers returning from Europe were craving it. How do you know you’re eating greek food? it has ΡΙΓΑΝΗ/OREGANO

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Hello Dunedin (ντανίντν) in New Zealand! Welcome to the family! A city with great architecture and history but most importantly, rent prices so affordable that artists can thrive there! From what I’m reading it’s an artistically vibrant city, Galleries, live music and theatre ! Oh I’m certainly visiting. Thank you for listening Dunedin.

If you like what you hear in this podcast you can subscribe, download and review it wherever you listen. A click and a few nice words go a long way! On with our episode!

(Piano music) Hello, and welcome to Your Greek Word On A Sunday, a weekly, bite-size podcast for anyone curious on language, etymology and connections. I am your host, Emmanuela Lia and wherever you are in the world, if you want to entertain your brain for a few minutes, this is the podcast for you. Let's Go!

The oldest verified writing we have of this plant is in ancient Mycenaean. However, those syllables together can be found in other languages too and it’s led linguists to believe that the original name is Sumerian. Ancient Greeks used this herb as a staple. You had your salt, your pepper and this on the table and of course they used it medicinally. Digestive and respiratory problems as well as bleeding were some of the problems that plant helped with. Cultivated originally in Iran but the name in English came from the Roman version of the Greek word. The Romans also brought it in the UK. In America it arrived from the Spanish and the Portuguese and in Morocco you can still find it on the table next to salt and pepper . ΚΥΜΙΝΟ/CUMIN

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Welcoming Payakumbuh in Indonesia today! The city with a long tradition of a secret negotiation for livestock trades. The Marosok Tradition: Buyers and sellers hide their hands under a cloth and communicate the price by touching. It’s a whole different language of touching and tapping and squeezing different parts of the hand and it means something different depending on which is used . Isn’t that fascinating? Thank you for listening Payakumbuh!

If you like what you hear in this podcast you can subscribe, download and review it wherever you listen. A click and a few nice words go a long way! On with our episode!

(Piano music) Hello, and welcome to Your Greek Word On A Sunday, a weekly, bite-size podcast for anyone curious on language, etymology and connections. I am your host, Emmanuela Lia and wherever you are in the world, if you want to entertain your brain for a few minutes, this is the podcast for you. Let's Go!

Ancient Greek incense as part of sacrificial ceremonies for the gods was comprised of several herbs. The most prominent was one that got its name from the fumes it was creating when burning . Now, that’s one version, the other is that it got its name because of its resilience; and the Ancient Greeks lit it in temples to inspire courage. In medicine, its oil was used as an antibiotic and in gastronomy as an Ancient Greek wine infuser or an ancient Roman cheese herb. Speaking of the Romans, they were the first to bring it to the UK and it became incredibly popular so much so that many knights would get it as farewell present before battle and people would put it under their pillows to ward off nightmares. From the Ancient Greek verb Θύω (Theo) meaning ‘creating smoke’ and Latin ‘Thymum’ this herb can be found everywhere in Greece and it’s delicious! ΘΥΜΑΡΙ/THYME

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