Answered
Does the etymology of hypocrite have anything to do with the hippocratic oath?
It has nothing to do with the Hippocratic oath. They sound similar but their roots mean different things. Hippocratic oath is a Code of Conduct for practicing medicin…e. It was written by the accepted father of medicine, Hippocrates of Kos ['Ιπποκράτης ο Κώος], and was honoured for centuries. Although Hippocrates created the oath, it was Galeno, roman doctor to 4 emperors, who cemented it into medical history by popularizing it. Hypocrite [pretender] is someone who performs hypocrisy, one that pretends like actors/ actresses]. From the etymological point of view Hippocrates means that someone holds a horse [ίππον κρατεί] while hypocrite means the person who hides the truth [υπό - κριτής, υπο - κρύπτων]. Hypo is a Greek root meaning "under" or "beneath"; combined with the verb "krinein", meaning to sift or decide. (MORE)
