Pontifex maximus pointed out that the term existed before there were any bridges in Rome and derived the word from Old Latin "pontis" (sic) meaning a powerful or absolute master, while others derived it from "potis facere" in the sense of "able to sacrifice". The last derivation is mentioned also by Varro, who rejected it, but it was the view of Pontifex Maximus Quintus Scaevola. Others have held that the word was originally "pompifex" (leader of public processions). The word "pons" originally meant "way" and "pontifex" would thus mean "maker of roads and bridges". Another opinion is that the word is a
Latin word order "five ships were burnt" but "no fewer than five ships were burnt". The use of hyperbaton (separation of words which normally go together) is also worth observing. Thus Caesar's "hae permanserunt aquae dies complures", with "hae" separated from "aquae" and "complures" at the end of the sentence, doesn't mean "These floods remained for several days" but "This time the flood waters, unlike the previous ones, remained for several days". In the past hundred years, but especially since the advent of computerised texts, Latin word order has been extensively studied, with a view to elucidating the principles on which it is