The etymology of the word x is quite intriguing.
The belief that harmful outcomes in medicine or other skilled work could be caused by the alignment of stars originated in ancient Mesopotamia, particularly Babylon, between 1800 and 500 BCE.
Astronomer priests compiled large collections of omens that linked planetary positions with events on earth. These records included predictions about illness, crop failure, accidents and administrative errors. In the Hellenistic period, Greek scholars combined Babylonian observational data with their own theories of natural influence.
This produced a structured system in which the seven classical planets were believed to affect human temperament, decision making and physical vulnerability. By the first century CE astrologers in the Roman Empire issued technical manuals stating that certain planetary configurations increased the likelihood of misjudgment by physicians, scribes or military officers. In medieval Islamic scientific culture and later in Europe, medical astrology textbooks routinely listed planetary conditions that were considered unsafe for surgical procedures or drug preparation.
Thus, in ancient italy, to mark any significant (usually bad) event that took place that they could attribute to the malefic alignment of stars.
Thus, the italians invented a portmanteau of malicious and astra (star) to make which word x of the modern english dictionary?
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