Cynics believe the world is going to the dogs. Linguistically speaking, that's appropriate, because "cynic" comes from a Greek word for dog.

The Greek philosophers known as the Cynics were named for their leader, Diogenes of Sinope. He was called "Kuon" (dog) because he defied social conventions by, among other things, barking and relieving himself on the leg of a chair. Soon those who followed "Kuon" — though they were careful not to follow him too closely — were called "kunikos," meaning "dog-like."

The Cynics' association with canines may have been reinforced by their ascetic lifestyle. With a dogged disregard for social customs and creature comforts, they stuck to their opinions and slept in tubs and kennels.

The Cynics' skepticism and contempt for others gave rise to two English words derived from "kunikos" — "cynic" and "cynical" — which first appeared during the 1500s.

Not surprisingly, cynics are often "ostracized." Crack the shell of this word and you'll find another animal — an oyster.

The citizens of ancient Athens worried constantly about subversion of their democracy. In a vote every year, each citizen was instructed to write down the name of anyone plotting to seize power. Today we call this "Social Media."

If someone's name appeared on a majority of the ballots, he would be banished from Athens for 10 years and permanently denied election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The ballots used in this election were not pieces of paper or papyrus, which were then very rare and costly. Instead, citizens voted by scratching the name of the alleged subversive on fragments of broken pottery or tile. Because these pieces of baked clay resembled the shells of oysters, they were called "ostrakon," meaning "oyster shell."

Did such harsh banishment by oysters rock a feller? You bet it did, and soon this process of sending a man into exile by voting on "ostrakon" became known as "ostrakismos," the source of the English word "ostracize," meaning "to exclude or blackball.''

For those who were ostracized, this was a real "tragedy," which is yet another term derived from a Greek word for an animal. Actors in ancient Greece sometimes dressed in furs and animal clothing to portray goat-legged satyrs, so these performances were called "tragodia," a combo of "tragos" (goat) and "oide" (song).

Because many of these plays had an unhappy resolution, "tragodia" entered English as "tragedy." I kid you not.

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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