04-06-2014, 07:15 AM
Gosh, and here I'm been making even more of a
fool of myself than I thought I was!
I wondered why people looked at me funny when
I told them I was one of Erthona's 'acolytes'.
All this time I thought it had something to do
with Erthona; but no, it was because I was using
'acolyte' as the name for a disciple of some sort.
This was, I found out, an archaic meaning that
had fallen into disuse by the end of the 17th
century.
My only consolation is that I was not alone;
that at least one other person was as ignorant
as I was.
The contemporary (correct) meaning for 'acolyte'
is that it's the name for a louse (pediculus
humanus humanus) whose usual haunt is the human
pubic area.
The transition of its meaning from 'disciple' to 'parasite'
seems only logical.
Here's a picture of it:
![[Image: 250px-Body_lice.jpg]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Body_lice.jpg/250px-Body_lice.jpg)
The correct term, by the way, is 'votarient'.
As in:
"... and I’m sure you'll be back to normal, dropping those
pearls of wisdom on all of your admiring votarients."
fool of myself than I thought I was!
I wondered why people looked at me funny when
I told them I was one of Erthona's 'acolytes'.
All this time I thought it had something to do
with Erthona; but no, it was because I was using
'acolyte' as the name for a disciple of some sort.
This was, I found out, an archaic meaning that
had fallen into disuse by the end of the 17th
century.
My only consolation is that I was not alone;
that at least one other person was as ignorant
as I was.
The contemporary (correct) meaning for 'acolyte'
is that it's the name for a louse (pediculus
humanus humanus) whose usual haunt is the human
pubic area.
The transition of its meaning from 'disciple' to 'parasite'
seems only logical.
Here's a picture of it:
The correct term, by the way, is 'votarient'.
As in:
"... and I’m sure you'll be back to normal, dropping those
pearls of wisdom on all of your admiring votarients."
a brightly colored fungus that grows in bark inclusions

