Pomp and Circumstance

November 1st, 2010 by admin

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Posted in columns, November 2010 | 7 comments

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7 comments on this post.

  1. Christian:

    January 29th, 2012 at 8:56 pm

    A brilliant explanation. Thank you.

  2. Chris Way:

    March 5th, 2012 at 5:25 am

    Nice to know: The term “Pomp and Circumstace” is also used by the character of Danny Dravott in Kiplings “The man who would be king”, describing his upcoming marriage.

  3. Steve Aspenson:

    March 18th, 2012 at 6:12 pm

    Why not just acknowledge the etymology of circumstance a bit more to understand the phrase? There’s a pompous display, and some others standing around staring at it?

  4. mododavid:

    July 21st, 2012 at 5:00 pm

    Thank you so much for the explanation. This is the ONLY place I’ve found that has explained this phrase and has done it so well. I’ve been curious about this phrase since the first time I read the Odessey (about ten years ago in college), and I wondered why these ancient characters would use such a presumably modern phrase. Bad translation I guess. Thank you. Also, you’re right. Everyone explains the obvious “pomp” well enough, but there’s never a good explanation of “circumstance.”

  5. Eleanor:

    September 8th, 2012 at 11:12 am

    Excellent answer! not only informative, and exact but thorough, enough information was given to assist the learner/requestor so if it is said or given in the wrong content you supplied multiple scenerios and information to use as resources to pull from.

  6. Craig Salvay:

    January 1st, 2013 at 11:53 am

    Consider using the word “tautology” in your explanation of the connection between “pomp” (Greek origin) and “circumstance” (Latin origin). Though pomp came to Latin from Greek (“pompein” = to send), I observe that literature and dictionaries of the 14th through 17th centuries seem often to use or cite the Latin (often French) and Greek words, perhaps to make the linguistic scholars of those centuries pleased that all then-modern forms of a meaning were being preserved and carried into English. Regardless of the origin of the practice of dual citation/usage (Latin & Greek), this practice among English linguists provided a language that is the richest repository of words in the modern world.

  7. McLaffs:

    May 4th, 2013 at 6:25 pm

    Great explanation. I’ve reluctantly used the term to playfully describe the procedures necessary to award contracts for construction work. What I’m trying to get across is “these next actions are ceremonial in nature.” I feel okay with my past usage, post-explanation. “Okay” itself, is an etymological endeavor for another day.

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