Arena

For an English-speaking student learning Spanish, arena is a so-called false friend, a word that looks the same or similar in another language but which means something different. The large Webster’s of 1913 gave the first definition of arena as one pertaining to ancient Rome: ‘The area in the central part of an amphitheater, in which the gladiators fought and other shows were exhibited; — so called because it was covered with sand.’ And of course ‘sand’ is the sense that arena has for a Spanish speaker, and that the identical Latin original had. Interestingly, the third definition in Webster’s was a medical one: ‘”Sand” or “gravel” in the kidneys.’ While it’s not clear that that usage has continued, modern medicine does deal with something called an arenavirus. Here’s an extended definition: ‘One of a family of viruses called Arenaviridae whose members are generally associated with diseases transmitted by rodents to humans. Each arenavirus is usually associated with a particular rodent host species in which it is maintained. Arenavirus infections are relatively common in humans in some areas of the world and can cause severe illnesses. The virus particles are spherical and have an average diameter of 110-130 nanometers. All are enveloped in a lipid (fat) membrane. Viewed in cross-section they show grainy particles that are ribosomes acquired from their host cells. It is this characteristic that gave them their name, derived from the Latin “arena,” which means “sandy.”‘ Well, not quite: the writer confused the adjective sandy for the noun sand. Just goes to show that experts in the medical arena aren’t always experts in the language arena.

© 2019 Steven Schwartzman