Don't Name Your Daughter 'Melena'

I promised to do this ages ago for Matt, but the list got lost and forgotten. By "this," I mean compile a list of all the Greek and Latin words we come across which could prove to be fun for kids to learn in a Latin class. For example, trochlea means "pulley"; or for a more common usage example, luteum refers to "yellow."

Well, the reason I'm making a blog update is (a) the recent fair's been a bit seriouus and personal, (b) it's been a while, and (c) I found this to be highly ... well, neither "amusing" nor "troubling," but something in between.

The word is melena. At first glance, it sounds like a lovely girl's name. Melena. I hear it rhyming with Selena, but I'm sure you could read it as rhyming with Helena, too. Melena. Melena. Melena.

Well, get that name out of your head because naming your daughter "black, tarry stools" is not a good way to earn Daddy Points.

Attention to creative writers (cough cough!) since this term really could pass for a girl's name as far as the general public's concerned and it'd be a great way to do with your character what Joyce clumsily attempted with his Stephen Daedalus. In fact, it looks like somebody's already beaten you to it! But there's always room for more Melenas in literature.

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