Y’all I’m so embarrassed I’ve gone my entire life and only just now realized it’s called Antarctica because it’s the Arctic antipode. The anti-arctic. Ant(i)arctic(a).
JFC Erin duh.
JFC Erin duh.
Comments
because the arctic is named after bears!
Ant(i)artic(a) = can't see Ursa Major.
Or, bears and no bears.
You’re not alone
Also I just checked and arctos is more like "brown" and ursus is more bear, but it's like calling bears "bruins" (as in brown)
(*crickets*)
…yeah, I’ll see myself out.
the German roots of “bear” mean “brown one” because everyone was too superstitious to call them by their actual name 👀
(And shoggoths, of course, but we don't talk about them because we don't want them to show up.)
https://uselessetymology.com/2018/01/01/the-etymology-of-arctic-and-antarctic/