Trick names in Latin

[Tsurushi]

Hi everyone! After an extremely random conversation in the forum chatbox, I've decided to start a thread with a compilation of kendama trick names in Latin. I'll start with a few ideas from the 100-trick list and I'll keep updating this post as more suggestions are contributed.

Big Cup	->	Poculum Maior
Small Cup	->	Poculum Minor
Base Cup	->	Poculum Medius
Candle	->	Candela
Spike	->	Lancea
Orbit	->	Orbis
Lighthouse	->	Pharus
Earth Turn	->	Orbis Terrae
Bird	->	Avis
Bird Fly over the Valley	->	Avis Vallem Transvolat
Faster than Gravity	->	Celerior quam Gravitas
Sisyphus	->	Sisyphus
Lunar Landing	->	Appulsum in Lunam

P.S.: Sorry for the weird formatting. The BBCode table syntax is displayed like that here.

[The Void]

magnum calicem ?

[mlarinen]

Poculum minor / medius / maior?

[Tsurushi]

@The Void: "Calix" ("calicem" is accusative) is very close to "chalice". I think it sounds a bit oversized for kendama (or, at least, for an average-sized kendama).

@mlarinen: "Poculum" is all right. I've also been considering "lanx" (like a weighing scales' pan), but "poculum" sounds definitely better. I'll add it right away.

By the way, what do you think of "spiculum" as a latin adaptation for "spike"? I've seen also "spica", but it's more appropriate for the "ear of grain" meaning of "spike".

[The Void]

A poculum on both your houses!

"Cuspis"?

[mlarinen]

Lancea, as in spear? Then you get the late latin verb lanceare as well, which could come in handy.

[Tsurushi]

@The Void: The meaning of "cuspis" is  closer to "summit" that to "spike"; I think it could ce a nice adaptation for "clifftop".

@mlarinen: Yes, having a straightforward translation for "to spike" could be really helpful. Added.

Now that I think of it, when naming tricks the English name of which consists of other trick names (Bird > In, for example), what kind of convention should we follow? A number of alternatives come to my mind, but I can't decide for any specific one:

-Using the conjunction "et" ("Avis et lancea") would be simple, but it could get repetitive for long combos.
-Using its equivalent "-que" ("Avis lanceaque"); the same as above, but sounds a bit better to me.
-Using the appropriate case (accusative for movement, I think) with suitable prepositions for every trick after the first ("Avis ad lanceam" or something similar). Slightly more complex, and has the same cons as the two above.

As a side note, what do you think of "Orbis Terrestris" for "Earth Turn"?

Also, a late edit: maybe "gladius" as an alternate name for "spike"? (one of the meanings of "ken" in Japanese is "sword").

[mlarinen]

I would go for the accusative, as you said. The first option would be okay for comound tricks involving just two tricks, but would get repetitive with more. Using -que would make it seem like a list of random names. Using the accusative gives you the sense of going from one thing TO another, which is what we want to convey.

Orbis Terrae would be my preference, though terrestris is just as valid.

I was thinking of a literal translation of ken as well, but for me spiking and stabbing with the ken just feels more like a spear than a sword. But even if I would call the spike itself lancea, I'd have no quarrels about using capulum for the ken as a whole, capulum meaning hilt/handle of sword.

[the milky oolong]

Ok, going to make some suggestions with some very creaky Latin:

Appulsus lunaris = (Lunar)

Celer quam gravitas = (hopefully Faster than Grav)

Stilla mortua = (Dead Drop)

Avis convallem transvolat (Bird Fly Over the Valley)

But still, wouldn't it make more sense that we all learn the Japanese terms? 

[mlarinen]

But still, wouldn't it make more sense that we all learn the Japanese terms? 

I thought everybody already knew them!

[Tsurushi]

@the milky oolong: A few notes on your translations:

Lunar = Appulsum in Lunam (I think it sounds better, but I'm open to discussion).
Faster than gravity = Celerior quam Gravitas ("faster" is comparative and, so, "celer" should be changed to its comparative-degree form).
Dead Drop = Without translation yet ("stilla" means "drop" as in "drop of water")
Bird Fly Over the Valley = Avis Vallem Transvolat ("convallis" is a specific word for a small, enclosed valley. Better keep general).

By the way, another (weirder) possible convention for several-step tricks: trick steps listed backwards and linked with "ex", so tricks after the first written one (the last one in the sequence of the actual trick) would be in ablative ("Bird > In" -> "Lancea ex avi"). It would be a mess for three-step tricks onwards, but I think it looks neat for two-step tricks.

[Kev]

Quick Q: Obviously, like most, I'm always up for a bit of Latin - but I was just wondering what provoked this thread?

[Tsurushi]

Long story short: it was a chatbox conversation started by [user]the milky oolong[/user] where he asked about what "more knees" would sound like in Latin. The conversation grew larger as [user]mlarinen[/user] and I talked about some technicalities in the translation, and it finally evolved into this thread.

[the milky oolong]

It's true. My bad 

[HansNickmans]

What would kendama be in Latin? Going from the ken (=sword) - tama (=ball). My Latin is a bit rusty, since I only use it for tree species names.