Minor Roots: COMO-

Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious

Saturdays are perfect days for hilarious surprises. Surprise—we’re talking about the minor root COMO- today!

Comus (alternately Komos) was the Greek god of festivity, revels, and nocturnal dalliances, representative of excess and chaos. From this paragon of partying comes the root COMO- meaning revel or celebration and many words derived from it:

comedian (noun) - a professional entertainer who seeks to make an audience laugh; a comic 

comedy (noun) - any form of entertainment designed to elicit laughter; a story with a happy ending
BREAKDOWN: COMO- (revel, celebration) + -EDY (song of)
—comedic means of, pertaining to, or involving comedy; comic

comic (adj) - provoking or intended to elicit laughter; funny
BREAKDOWN: COMO- (revel, celebration) + -IC (pertaining to)
—a comic is a print or digital medium used to express ideas with images, often in a series; a cartoon 

comic is also another word for comedian

comical (adj) - funny in an absurd or silly way

encomium (noun) - a formal expression of warm or high praise
BREAKDOWN: EN- (in) + COMO- (celebration) + -IUM (state)

Portmanteaus describing different types of comedies include romcom (romantic comedy), sitcom (situational comedy), and tragicomedy (a blend of both tragic and comic elements).