😀
You would have to be a linguistic expert to decypher
the origins of this word. Im not.
BUT

There was a man in England around 1550, Roger Ascham who was a scholar in languages especially Greek. He tutored the children of Henry VIII. He was also a keen archer. He wrote an article
on archery which he titled TOXOPHILUS …the love of the Bow or archery from Greek. TOXO bow
The character in the book that promoted archery was Toxophile
Famous quote for the use of the bow
youth should use it for the most honest pastime in peace, that men might handle it as a most sure weapon in war.
R.Ascham

Toxophilite, when deciphered from ancient greek, means “lover of the bow.” Toxophile today is used as a synonym for toxophilite and only a professor of ancient greek language can maybe tell us if they are really one in the same.

Now I can tell you that in my basement, I have a “toxo-pile.”
😳

moss wrote: 😀
You would have to be a linguistic expert to decypher
the origins of this word. Im not.
BUT

There was a man in England around 1550, Roger Ascham who was a scholar in languages especially Greek. He tutored the children of Henry VIII. He was also a keen archer. He wrote an article
on archery which he titled TOXOPHILUS …the love of the Bow or archery from Greek. TOXO bow
The character in the book that promoted archery was Toxophile
Famous quote for the use of the bow
youth should use it for the most honest pastime in peace, that men might handle it as a most sure weapon in war.
R.Ascham

Says the guy from Nottingham… 😀

And George, you are still a hoot!

Either gender I suppose! :lol::lol: Now, right handed/left handed, ummmm!:roll:

Left handed would be sinister.

Be careful…Ya know if you use either of those terms in describing yourself while in conversation with someone,,,they might think that you have some kinda disease, or at least take a step back.

Yes, lets stick to English… we dont want too many sinister
Toxophilites.:shock: We`ve all got one thing in common….. we love archery:)

David McLendon wrote: Left handed would be sinister.

Apparently you guys misundersttod that comment.
sinistrality, sinistromanuality, or mancinism) is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing.
Shooting lefthanded, I would be sinistral.

We are all a little wiser,:)
Im not prejudiced.

Im right handed but Im not blessed with great dexterity:(:?

Archery is ancient… goes before English beyond Latin beyond ancient Greek……..and we STILL love it

Left handers are evil, that’s smart, it makes about as much sense as blood letting to cure illness and fear of black cats.

Patrick wrote: [quote=David McLendon][quote=David McLendon]Left handed would be sinister.

Apparently you guys misundersttod that comment.
sinistrality, sinistromanuality, or mancinism) is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing.
Shooting lefthanded, I would be sinistral.

I rarely quote Wikipedia, but I thought well of its definition for “Sinister” (Definition #2) 😀 :

“In the Middle Ages it was believed that when a person was writing with their left hand they were possessed by the Devil. (This was uncommon, particularly as there were fewer literate people). Left-handed people were therefore considered to be evil. Hence, the most common present-day meanings:
Threatening or portending evil, harm, or trouble; ominous: a sinister remark
Bad, evil, base, or wicked; fell: his sinister purposes
Unfortunate; disastrous; unfavorable: a sinister accident”

Here’s my short hand version:

Left handers are evil.

Makes perfect sense to me.

Like my dear Granmama used to say, “Never turn your back on left-handers, or goats.”

It’s that sort of invaluable advice that has gotten me to where I am today.

Well then I guess it’s a good thing that I am RH shooting LH due to eye dominance. I can still shoot pretty well Rh though and have given thought to aquiring one of the old Bear dual shelf recurves so as to never be caught on a bad shooting position. problem with that is that I just can’t let go of that Shrew.

Back to the original question, my Greek is rusty, but I’ll give it a shot. There’s no doubt about the “toxo” (yew), or the “phil” (love of, same root as the first half of philosophy, or love of knowledge). The argument is over the “ite.” This suffix generally means “adherent of”, as in Raphaelite, which makes some sense. However, it is redundant, and there’s plenty of precedent for dropping it, as in “bibliophile” (lover of books.) So, I’m voting for toxophile, although as others have pointed out both forms are in common usage today. And since Lori is as left-handed as they come, I’m staying out of the rest of the discussion. Don

Good move as I don’t seem to be coming out too well.
We do what we do as best we can and reap what follows.

They both mean the same. Often, the last couple of syllables give it up:
the “phile” is French
the “philite” is English

Well, I’m fluent in Greek but I am not a Greek scholar. In fact, Greek was my first language. I remember asking my mother, in Greek, what the heck my cousins were talking about when they came over to visit. Here’s my take. “Toxo” = bow. “filos” = friend. You can put the 2 together. BTW “love” = agape. But I do think lover of the bow would be a good way to look at “toxophile”. I wish I had taught my daughters more of the language but they are good kids. At 29 and 33 it is harder for them to learn despite some Greek courses at UNH. :)Jawge

OK, I’m happy! I’m a Toxoamericana non-sinister trad bow shooting addict and happy about it. All Toxo folk are fine with me (As long as they’re on my side :D:)).