Well, there's certainly a double entendre in chosing it as the name of a satellite, but it definitely comes from the name of tgat comic book character. Which itself is a play on asterisque (this symbol: *), which, of course, comes in turn from aster as you said.
His compagnon Obélix has a name which works on two levels: It can be seen as a play on obelisk (he is himself a sculptor of menhirs, which are vaguely similar to obelisks), but "obèle" is also the French word for the dagger symbol (†), which is an alternative to the asterisk.
Netflix has a new animated Asterix series which is really good, modernized (as far as the puns are concerned -- e.g. one of the Romans is named "Fastandfurius") but still very much in the spirit of the original. The live-action series is nowhere near as good.
Sputnik is a fun word in Russian. It comes from the prefix s- (with), the suffix -nik (one who), and the root -put- (path). A sputnik, then, is someone or something who travels a path with you, and it is also a model of train (because it travels with the tracks) and a word for spouse (because they travel your life's path with you).
The Russians call Germans "nemtsy" or "the mute ones" because allegedly the Germans were the first ethnic group the Russians encountered who didn't speak their language and so they assumed they couldn't speak at all. The sausage sounds delicious, though, so maybe they just weren't speaking because they were eating cheese-stuffed bacon-wrapped sausages.
To expand a bit, it comes from a Proto-Slavic word which was used for foreigners in general, but mostly to refer to Germans. It's also why most (all?) Slavic languages have basically the same word for German(s)/Germany, similar-sounding to the modern Russian one.
If the "pa" part of "companion" comes from path it's basically exactly the same: "s" and "co" are both "with" and "nik" and "ion" are similar noun endings.
It doesn't though, it comes from French compagnon/compaignon and then Latin com (with) + panis (bread). It probably originally meant "someone with whom you share bread (eat together)".
And actually, looking at wiktionary, Old English had a word "ġefēra" (with the same meaning) which is constructed very similarly to "спутник": ge ('with', still the same prefix in german e.g. Gebrüder) + fera ('to go'/'to fare', e.g. in seafaring)
I might translate it that way in some contexts, but if you told me Lewis and Clark were "sputniks" I'd assume you meant they got married in secret, rather than that they were explorers.
I'm pretty sure the model of train is a proper name and it's named after the satellite. I don't think I would describe any train as a literal "sputnik" of the rails.
Also Russian is full of composite words like that. "Explorer" in russian would be "исследователь" (issledovatel') - ис (completely) + след (trace/footstep) + оват (make, imbue) + ель (he who). Literally it would be "he who makes (places) completely (covered in) footsteps"
Canada was the 4th country with a satellite, and the 3rd country to fully construct its own satellite. It called that satellite Alouette 1, followed by Alouette 2, then ISIS 1 and 2 (International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies, not the other one).
I read in another place that Japan was the fourth to launch a satellite in February of 1970, it looks like that other article means ‘launched using their own rocktet’, and Canada launched 8 years earlier than Japan using NASA rocket
Everybody wants to make their own achievement sound better.
The UK was the third country with a satellite, but didn't fully build their own satellite.
Canada was the fourth, but third to fully build their own satellite, but they didn't use their own rocket.
Italy was the fifth and also launched a satellite they built, but used an American rocket.
France was the sixth country with a satellite, but the first to launch outside the US or USSR using their own rocket.
Australia was the seventh country with a satellite, but the third to launch a satellite in its own territory; France launched from Algeria in 1965 which had been independent since 1962. But, Australia used an American rocket, not its own design.
West Germany was the eighth country with a satellite, but it was launched from a US rocket on a US base.
Japan was the ninth country with a satellite, but it used its own rocket from its own territory. So, 9th with a satellite, 5th to launch outside the US and USSR, 4th to launch from its own territory, and 4th to launch with its own rocket.
The new animated series on Netflix is great, very much in the spirit of the original comics. I didn't like the live action thing at all and couldn't get very far into it.
53 Comments
bleistift2@sopuli.xyz · 109 pts · 120d
“Asterix” being some spin on the latin word for “star”, aster.
Denjin@feddit.uk · 109 pts · 120d
You claiming that I'm not a star? tok tok tok
T00l_shed@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 120d
Oublie-ix that line of thought!
Klear@quokk.au · 2 pts · 117d
No can to, it's a fixed idea.
SuperPengato@scribe.disroot.org · 33 pts · 120d
Well, there's certainly a double entendre in chosing it as the name of a satellite, but it definitely comes from the name of tgat comic book character. Which itself is a play on asterisque (this symbol: *), which, of course, comes in turn from aster as you said.
His compagnon Obélix has a name which works on two levels: It can be seen as a play on obelisk (he is himself a sculptor of menhirs, which are vaguely similar to obelisks), but "obèle" is also the French word for the dagger symbol (†), which is an alternative to the asterisk.
faercol@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 13 pts · 119d
Oh, I never knew about that second reference for Obélix!
I should really read them again, I probably missed 80% of the jokes as a kid.
ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 119d
Netflix has a new animated Asterix series which is really good, modernized (as far as the puns are concerned -- e.g. one of the Romans is named "Fastandfurius") but still very much in the spirit of the original. The live-action series is nowhere near as good.
underscore_@sopuli.xyz · 4 pts · 119d
Thank you for sharing this, a great little TIL to go with my morning coffee!
samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 120d
Which was taken from Greek.
The "star" comes from the fact that his name is a pun on asterisk. *
CombatWombat@feddit.online · 62 pts · 120d
Sputnik is a fun word in Russian. It comes from the prefix s- (with), the suffix -nik (one who), and the root -put- (path). A sputnik, then, is someone or something who travels a path with you, and it is also a model of train (because it travels with the tracks) and a word for spouse (because they travel your life's path with you).
GargleBlaster@feddit.org · 14 pts · 120d
In (some parts of) Germany a Sputnik is a sausage with a slice of cheese in it, wrapped in bacon, pierced by a toothpick and baked in the oven.
Was looking for a picture of one and found none. So now I'm contemplating if I'm going insane.
CombatWombat@feddit.online · 10 pts · 120d
The Russians call Germans "nemtsy" or "the mute ones" because allegedly the Germans were the first ethnic group the Russians encountered who didn't speak their language and so they assumed they couldn't speak at all. The sausage sounds delicious, though, so maybe they just weren't speaking because they were eating cheese-stuffed bacon-wrapped sausages.
AbsolutelyClawless@piefed.social · 6 pts · 120d
To expand a bit, it comes from a Proto-Slavic word which was used for foreigners in general, but mostly to refer to Germans. It's also why most (all?) Slavic languages have basically the same word for German(s)/Germany, similar-sounding to the modern Russian one.
Mantzy81@aussie.zone · 8 pts · 120d
Those parts might be centred around your family kitchen, much like the northern lights
MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 120d
May I see it?
GargleBlaster@feddit.org · 1 pts · 119d
Probably, was in a small village in the Swabian Alps
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 119d
Is it a specific sausage or any sausage because no reason I'm not hungry
Mantzy81@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 119d
Username checks out?
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 119d
i'm like constantly stoned dude. mention food and i want to eat it.
lime@feddit.nu · 13 pts · 120d
so, "pathfinder"?
Limerance@piefed.social · 28 pts · 120d
More like companion.
CombatWombat@feddit.online · 9 pts · 120d
If the "pa" part of "companion" comes from path it's basically exactly the same: "s" and "co" are both "with" and "nik" and "ion" are similar noun endings.
balsoft@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 119d
It doesn't though, it comes from French compagnon/compaignon and then Latin com (with) + panis (bread). It probably originally meant "someone with whom you share bread (eat together)".
And actually, looking at wiktionary, Old English had a word "ġefēra" (with the same meaning) which is constructed very similarly to "спутник": ge ('with', still the same prefix in german e.g. Gebrüder) + fera ('to go'/'to fare', e.g. in seafaring)
WhyIHateTheInternet@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 120d
More like baby mama
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 120d
More like YO mama!
TachyonTele@piefed.social · 3 pts · 120d
Ohh got em
CombatWombat@feddit.online · 7 pts · 120d
I might translate it that way in some contexts, but if you told me Lewis and Clark were "sputniks" I'd assume you meant they got married in secret, rather than that they were explorers.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 119d
Especially now that I found out it involves a bacon cheese sausage somehow
SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 120d
It's strange they called it a 'companion' of any sort since it was the sole first satellite in space
RustySharp@programming.dev · 6 pts · 120d
As in, a companion to the planet.
Moons are satellites.
xzinik@feddit.cl · 6 pts · 120d
i find that incredibly fascinating and also so emotional like pure poetry in just one word, neat
SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 120d
Fascinating, so it means 🇨🇿 spoluputovník or 🇩🇪 Mitwanderer
balsoft@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 119d
I'm pretty sure the model of train is a proper name and it's named after the satellite. I don't think I would describe any train as a literal "sputnik" of the rails.
Also Russian is full of composite words like that. "Explorer" in russian would be "исследователь" (issledovatel') - ис (completely) + след (trace/footstep) + оват (make, imbue) + ель (he who). Literally it would be "he who makes (places) completely (covered in) footsteps"
merc@sh.itjust.works · 28 pts · 120d
Canada was the 4th country with a satellite, and the 3rd country to fully construct its own satellite. It called that satellite Alouette 1, followed by Alouette 2, then ISIS 1 and 2 (International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies, not the other one).
The list of launches is pretty funny.
Then an absolutely frantic series of US attempts
Then another Sputnik
Then more frantic attempts by the USA
PioneerExplorer 5 (failure); USAThen 1959 started with Luna 1, a partially successful launch from the USSR.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 119d
Mild confusing, Pioneer 5 launched before Pioneer 1? Whose bright idea was that?
merc@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 119d
Oops, I messed up. That should have been Explorer 5.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 119d
no no your list is right it's reality that's wrong
sukhmel@programming.dev · 3 pts · 119d
I read in another place that Japan was the fourth to launch a satellite in February of 1970, it looks like that other article means ‘launched using their own rocktet’, and Canada launched 8 years earlier than Japan using NASA rocket
merc@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 119d
Everybody wants to make their own achievement sound better.
VerilyFemme@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 17 pts · 120d
AN INDOMITABLE GAULISH NAME FOR AN INDOMITABLE GAULISH SATELLITE!
wpb@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 119d
Not to get too "um actually" on this but Sputnik 1 predates Explorer 1
treesapx@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 119d
Does any part of this suggest otherwise?
wpb@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 119d
Yes, the order of the guys.
aketawi@quokk.au · 17 pts · 119d
china really went 60% of the way to naming their satellite Touhou Koumakyou
Jankatarch@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 119d
Ah the second first touhou game.
funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 120d
Ils sont fous, ces Française.
ZoteTheMighty@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 120d
Ils? Peut-être "nous"?
funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 120d
Je suis anglais. But also I was trying to keep the catchphrase intact.
But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 120d
Was that live action movie any good or just an acid trip?
RustySharp@programming.dev · 7 pts · 120d
Yes.
ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 119d
The new animated series on Netflix is great, very much in the spirit of the original comics. I didn't like the live action thing at all and couldn't get very far into it.
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 120d
Named ours after a bird and funny kid's song.
P1k1e@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 119d
"The East is Red" is a pretty fire name ngl
zerobot@lemmy.wtf · 1 pts · 119d