Post Eagle Newspaper

Friday

Dec 6, 2024

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New Jersey

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12:00:00

Diploma

The word for today is DIPLOMA – which means – FOLDED PAPER.

Today it is a document issued by an educational institution.
The Greek word- DIPL – means – TWICE.

This is better understood by understanding travel in ancient times. The distance from Rome to Britain is about 1100 miles. An official messenger would make the trip by horse in approximately 7 days. He would run the horse for about 50 miles and then, change horses. There were public stops along the route where he could obtain a fresh horse. In order to get a fresh horse he needed a WARRANT which was an official document issued by an authority. This certificate provided the assurance of getting fresh horses along the way. This letter of introduction was called a – DIPLOMA – because it was a document that was folded over to protect the legibility.

The word – LEGIBLE – comes from the Latin word – LEGERE – which means – TO READ, LEGIBLE – means – READABLE. The word – WARRANT – comes from a French word which means – A GUARANTOR or TO GUARANTEE.