You might well ask why I have chosen a common word that has remained more or less unaltered through the millennia.
It is a false friend (faux ami) that can confuse the English speaker in one particular circumstance. Between French and English there are dozens of false friends. For example, déception and délai translate as ‘disappointment’ and ‘time limit’ respectively. In Spanish constipado means your nose is blocked and embarazada refers to a pregnant rather than an embarrassed woman.
There are not so many false friends in Greek – or I can’t think of many. One that comes to mind is sycophant/sycophancy – συκοφάντης/συκοφαντία. In English it means a shameless flatterer. And at school, I was taught that it meant the same in Ancient Greek. Figs were a prized fruit, and giving them to someone was the height of arse-licking. When I first saw it in context in Modern Greek, this meaning did not fit. The dictionary told me συκοφάντης/συκοφαντία now meant slanderer/slander. How could a meaning change so much? The truth is the meaning has remained stable for over 2,000 years. Yes, it did mean flattery, but it quickly became associated with its current sense of making false accusations. Figs were highly valued and protected. Consequently, people would steal them only for the συκοφάντης – “fig shower” – to denounce the thief to the authorities. However, many accusations were deliberate attempts to frame a rival.
The use of γέφυρα is similar in many ways to its various English meanings. It can be the bridge the dentist has fitted. And if you are a peacemaker, χτίζεις γέφυρες. However, the reason why I have chosen it is because of one area where it is a false friend. If you play a stringed instrument like the violin, the strings do not rest on a γέφυρα but on a καβαλάρης. Τhe γέφυρα sits between your shoulder and the underside of the violin; in English – a shoulder rest.
