Greek Word 30/2022

μόριο – a molecule

A molecular biologist is a μοριακός βιολόγος and μοριακό βάρος is molecular weight.

Less scientifically it can mean a ‘speck’. In grammar επιρρηματικά μόρια are adverbial particles (words like δε, θα, να, μεν).

And now we return to biology because μόριο is a euphemism for penis. In the article below, the actress Viky Protogeraki says it was quite common for actors in the past to “show off” their members. (Επιδεικνύω was the verb she used.) Indeed 90% of actors did so, she claims. The context here is the trial of actor Petros Filippides, who is charged with rape and attempted rape; Protogeraki is going to appear as a witness for the actor. With friends like that…!

I said in a post when Filippides was first charged that he will get away with this. He was held in pretrial detention for several months which, I believe, was done to inflict some form of punishment on him as the authorities think he’s guilty but know that there isn’t enough evidence to convict.

I wasn’t too sure what Protogeraki meant exactly by επιδείκνυαν, but in the lively video clip embedded in the article, the TV presenter makes it absolutely clear: έβγαζαν το μόριό τους – they whipped them out. Notice the grammar here – the plural (τα μόριά τους) is not used as men have only one penis each. The rule applies to any unique body part. It is the same in French: “Il leur a brisé le coeur” = he broke their hearts. The article is short and the video clip is a good example of how Greek TV personalities don’t let each other finish sentences.

https://www.iefimerida.gr/zoi/biky-protogeraki-filippidi-90-ton-ithopoion-morio

My out-of-date Oxford Greek-English Learners’ Dictionary offers το ανδρικό μόριο, το γυναικείο μόριο and τα γεννητικά μόρια for ‘male member’, ‘pudenda’ and ‘genitals’ respectively.

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