Pecuniary - Counterfeit?
Today's cobweb carries interesting snippets gathered by our editor on the history of currency and counterfeiting. He finds out that counterfeit is as old as money itself.
My Engineer daughter once asked me, if I knew the meaning of 'pecuniary'. I told her it relates to money. She was very impressed and conceded that even I knew a little English. (It is really possible to convince your children that you also went to school - provided you know a couple of words like pecuniary!)
Then she asked me if I knew where the word came from. I was stuck. No use pretending before your children!
It was explained to me that the word is actually derived from the Sanskrit word pasu and the Latin word Pecu meaning cattle. The possession of cattle in those days denoted wealth and a man was considered rich or poor according to the large or small number of cattle that he owned. In the Ramayana king Janaka's wealth was described by reference to the large number of herds that he owned. It appears that the cow was gradually raised to the status of divinity. Kautilya's Arthasastra has a special chapter (Ch.XXIX) dealing with the "superintendent of cows" and the duties of the owner of cows.
Were there counterfeit cows?
Recently Shobha De wrote in THE WEEK that women are sold in Punjab for about Rs. 3000/- whereas bulls command a price of Rs. 30,000/-!
Does it sound peculiar?
And does peculiar mean a liar who is also an animal?