What does Arcoscephale mean?

[zzcat]

Zeldor said:
Many names here are just to be nice and somewhat influenced by nation theme, not to really mean something.

P.S. Where are you exactly from? I am in Xi'An now.

I'm in Shanghai

[Agema]

Ancient Greek did not have a 'c', just kappa. Although kappa is often translated into English via the letter 'c', pronunciation should always be hard like a 'k'. In the case of Arcoscephale, all the vowels should be short (as in pAt, pOt, pEt). I think it should pronounce as 'Arkoskefaly'.

As for what it means...

"-cephale" would refer to head, as pointed out. "Arcos" would not mean arches or bridges as that's a Latin root. I think the nearest you could get to "Arcos" would probably be "arch-" rather than "arc-". The root is to be first or come before; an Archon was an ancient Greek ruler or magistrate for instance.

Hence Arcoscephale would mean literally 'head first'. You could interpret that several ways with artistic licence, but I like to do it as 'The mind is paramount'. I think it suits a nation who put great store in philosophy, science and other mental pursuits.

[Tuidjy]

Mine interpretation is very close to Agema. I always translated it as "lead by the Mind",
and I pronounce it Ar-KO-ceh-FAH-lee. They are also a favorite nation of mine.

[Technowolf]

Twan said:
Man = a nation of simple men, standing no chance against magic and gods

I always thought it was named after the Isle of Man, a British Territory located between Ireland and Britain.

[Agema]

I think Twan might have been joking

[Professor_Dyar]

Man is a reference to the Isle of Man, which is an island in the straits between Wales and Ireland that has had an active parliament for over a thousand years. I think that the island has been likened to the fabled island of Avalon, which is why the Devs chose it.

[lch]

I pronounce Arcoscephale like Arcoscephalos, and then lose the -os.
Arcos like arc, Cephalos like zephyr. So, more or less: Ar-Kos-Ze-Fal.

[Agrajag]

Ar-Kos-Ka-FAIL.

This is a combination of "Aroma", which is a coffe-restaurant thingey over here, "Kos Kafe" which is "cup of coffee" in Hebrew, and "ale" mixed into the "e" of "kafe", because Arcoscephale is full of sandwich eating coffee drinking drunkards?

BTW, I pronounce R'lyeh as "R'lyeh"