Ever heard the expression "sardonic wit"? I knew how to use the word, but I was never quite sure what "sardonic" meant.
But the really cool thing about it is the origin of the word (its etymology).
Origin: 1630-40; alteration of earlier sardonian (influenced byFrench sardonique) < Latin sardoni(us) (< Greek sardónios ofSardinia) + an; alluding to a Sardinian plant which when eaten was supposed to produce convulsive laughter ending in death (dictionary.com)
Wikitionary tells a slighty different tale:
French sardonique < Latin sardonius < Ancient Greek σαρδόνιος (sardonios), alternative form of σαρδάνιος (sardanios, “bitter or scornful laughter”), which is often cited as deriving from the Sardinian plant (Ranunculus sardous), known as either σαρδάνη(sardanē) or σαρδόνιον (sardonion). When eaten, it would cause the eater's face to contort in a look resembling scorn (generally followed by death). It might also be related to σαίρω (sairō, “I grin”).
And what does this killer plant with the twisted sense of humour look like?
It's a variety of buttercup.
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