The Etymology of Antenna
An antenna was originally a spar.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Latin 'antenna' (or 'antemna') denoted the horizontal yard from which a Roman ship's sail hung. In 1646, the scholar Theodore Gaza needed a Latin word for insect feelers when translating Aristotle, and chose 'antenna' because the slender appendages reminded him of sail yards. Two and a half centuries later, Guglielmo Marconi mounted his wireless telegraph apparatus on tall poles and reused the same word. Both metaphorical leaps proved so successful that the original nautical meaning has been almost completely forgotten. English uniquely preserves both biological and technological senses, using the Latin plural 'antennae' for insects and the anglicised 'antennas' for radio equipment.