Re: CHAT: Measurements (was: Re: CHAT: browsers)

On Sunday 16 February 2003 9:27 am, Andreas Johansson wrote:
> Tristan wrote:
> >Andreas Johansson wrote:
> >>Tristan wrote:
> >>>Well, I'll be. I think that's a bigger problem that needs rectification
> >>>before we try replacing 'ten thousand' with 'myriad'. Of course, there's
> >>>always the problem that people will be confused by 'a myriad of ways'
> >>>(the most common meaning and perhaps the only current meaning) and 'a
> >>>myriad ways'.
> >>
> >>I'm not aware of any other current meaning, but then I'm a non-native
> >>speaker. Anyways, crowding out this usage was kind of the point.
> >
> >It means a lot, a huge amount, but not a particular amount. It's a
> >formal way of saying something like zillion, but it normally has 'of'
> >after it.
> >
> >Or if that was the one you were thinking of, the dictionary says it can
> >also mean 10 000 already.
>
> To be perfectly clear; I am and was conscious of use of "myriad" as "very
> large number". I jokingly suggested that we CONLANG list members should try
> and replace this usuage with "myriad"="ten thousand".
>
Is it true that the original greek word meant >=10,000?  I heard that
somewhere...

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