Mavity (term): Difference between revisions

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{{Subpage tabs}}
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{{Infobox Object  
{{Infobox Object  
|image      =  
|image      = Mavity (Space Babies).png
|aka        =
|aka        =
|type        = [[Word]]
|type        = [[Word]]
|made by    = [[Isaac Newton]]
|made by    = [[Isaac Newton]]
|used by    =
|used by    =
|first       = Oodunnit (audio story)
|first cs    = Oodunnit (audio story)
|appearances = {{Appears}}
|appearances = {{Appears}}
}}
}}
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== History ==
== History ==
=== Change in history ===
=== Change in history ===
However, according to later accounts{{what}}, when Newton independently formed his concept of gravity in [[1666]], after an apple fell on his head while he was pondering under a tree, [[the Doctor's TARDIS]] crashed into the tree above him, and [[Donna Noble]], despite the [[Fourteenth Doctor]]'s initial attempts to stop her before he joined in, made a joke concerning the "gravity of [their] situation". After the TARDIS took off again, Newton grew confused and misremembered the "delightful word" they had said as "mavity", ([[TV]]: {{cs|Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)}}) causing the term "gravity" to seemingly be retroactively erased from history and replaced by the word "mavity", ([[TV]]: {{cs|Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)}}, {{cs|The Church on Ruby Road (TV story)}}) though the Doctor retained his knowledge of the original word. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)}})
[[File:Shavity Havity Mavity (WBY).jpg|thumb|right|Isaac Newton misremembers the word "gravity" as "mavity". ([[TV]]: {{cs|Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)}})]]
When [[Isaac Newton]] formed his concept of [[gravity]] in [[1666]] after an [[apple]] fell on his head while he was pondering under a tree, [[the Doctor's TARDIS]] crashed into the tree above him, and [[Donna Noble]], despite the [[Fourteenth Doctor]]'s initial attempts to stop her before he joined in, made a joke concerning the "gravity of [their] situation". After the TARDIS took off again, Newton grew confused and misremembered the "delightful word" they had said as "mavity", ([[TV]]: {{cs|Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)}}) causing the term "gravity" to seemingly be retroactively erased from history and replaced by the word "mavity", ([[TV]]: {{cs|Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)}}, {{cs|The Church on Ruby Road (TV story)}}) though the Fourteenth Doctor at least momentarily retained his knowledge of the original word. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)}})


Other terms were impacted, such as the Doctor's usage of "mavitational field". ([[TV]]: {{cs|Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)}})
Some other terms were also impacted, such as the Doctor's usage of "[[gravity field|mavity field]]". ([[TV]]: {{cs|Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)}}) In contrast, some other terms appeared to be unaffected, such as the Doctor's usage of "[[antigrav]]". ([[TV]]: {{cs|Dot and Bubble (TV story)}})


=== Usage ===
=== Meta-History ===
The usage of "mavity" would persist into the [[43rd century]], where people would refer to a "mavitational anomaly". ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Oodunnit (audio story)}})  
The usage of "mavity" would persist into the [[43rd century]], where people would refer to a "mavitational anomaly". ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Oodunnit (audio story)}})


[[The Toymaker]] would directly, in acknowledging his readers, note that the time taken for a body to fall from a building was described by "Isaac Newton's law of mavity". ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Giggle (novelisation)}})
[[The Toymaker]] would directly, in acknowledging his readers, note that the time taken for a body to fall from a building was described by "Isaac Newton's law of mavity". ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Giggle (novelisation)}})


The [[telepathic circuits]] translated a word in [[language (Space Babies)|the language used by Baby Station Beta]] into "Mavity" for [[Ruby Sunday]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Space Babies (TV story)}})
On [[25 December]] [[2023]], the [[Fifteenth Doctor]] explained to [[Ruby Sunday]] that, when using his [[intelligent glove]]s, the [[mass]], [[density]] and mavity would be tranferred from the user. Later, when he and went to escape from the [[Goblin ship]], he adjusted his centre of mavity. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Church on Ruby Road (novelisation)|chaptnum=Nine, Eleven|page=}})
 
[[File:Mavity onscreen (Space Babies).jpg|thumb|left|Mavity reading onscreen. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Space Babies (TV story)}})]]
The [[telepathic circuits]] translated the word "表面重力" in [[language (Space Babies)|the language used by Baby Station Beta]] into "Mavity" for Ruby. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Space Babies (TV story)}})
 
While [[the Unravel]] was affecting histories of language, [[Melvart]] of the [[Dead & Endangered Languages department]] once investigated a peculiarity in various [[Earth]] languages related to the word which in English was "Mavity". These included [[Irish-Gaelic]]'s [[Domhantarraingt]], [[17th century]]-[[24th century]] [[French]]'s [[Mavité]], and [[14th century]] [[Italy|Italian]]'s [[Mavità]], which were all capitalised on principle, owing to the plentiful evidence that in all Earth languages where the matter was settled for certain, words with that meaning were capitalised, going all the way back to the earliest Indo-European sources. This investigation was dismissed due to [[18th century]]-[[25th century]] [[English (language)|English]] not being dead or endangered, and thus the purview of a different department in [[the Multiplicity]]. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Esquivalience (novel)|<nowiki>{{esquivalience}}</nowiki>}})
 
=== Reversion ===
At the point in [[meta-time]] in which [[Olivia Kagg Waldermein]] wrote ''[[Love & War: A Meta-Historical Investigation of the Dawn of the Cosmic Revolution]]'', the matter of [[gravity]]'s true name was a recent controversy among [[Meta-History|meta-historians]]. Among the meta-temporal uncertainty was a short-lived version of history where Gravity was known as "[[gevity]]" due to interference from followers of [[Epsilon (Out of the Box)|Epsilon the Watcher]]. The force was termed "gravity" from Waldermein's perspective after a [[time-interventionist (Love & War)|time-interventionist]] claimed to put things right using clumsy methods, although at this point Isaac Newton was known as "Isaac Mewton". ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Love & War (short story)}})


== Behind the scenes ==
== Behind the scenes ==
* Although the term "mavity" was said by the [[Fifteenth Doctor]] in {{cs|The Church on Ruby Road (TV story)}}, actors [[Ncuti Gatwa]] and [[Millie Gibson]] were not informed why it was used instead of "gravity" and would not find out until the airdate of {{cs|Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)}}.<ref>"Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson Answer Fan Questions for DOCTOR WHO | IMDb", IMDb YouTube channel, 9 May 2024.</ref>
* Although the term "mavity" was said by the [[Fifteenth Doctor]] in {{cs|The Church on Ruby Road (TV story)}}, actors [[Ncuti Gatwa]] and [[Millie Gibson]] were not informed why it was used instead of "gravity" and would not find out until the airdate of {{cs|Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)}}.<ref>{{cite_web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Bkib0iTmw|title=Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson Answer Fan Questions for DOCTOR WHO | IMDb|author=IMDb YouTube channel|website name=YouTube|date of source=9 May 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240524065240/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Bkib0iTmw|archivedate=2024-05-24}}</ref>
* In the [[DWU]], [[Isaac Newton]] is depicted in ''Wild Blue Yonder'' having coined the word "gravity", and later, "mavity". In the real world, however, "gravity" was not coined by Newton. The etymology of the word is derived from the [[Latin]] ''gravitas'', meaning "weight".
* While the term "mavity" was invented for ''Wild Blue Yonder'', it made its first appearance in the [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]] ''[[Torchwood - Monthly Range|Torchwood]]'' audio ''[[Oodunnit (audio story)|Oodunnit]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/gossjam/status/1747200441006395846|author=James Goss|title="Could you just say it wrong?"|date of source=2024-01-16|archiveurl=https://archive.ph/h7J18|archivedate=2024-06-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who-reference-mavity-mystery/|title=A Sneaky Doctor Who Reference Makes “Mavity” an Even More Intriguing Mystery|author=Joe George|website name=Den of Geek|date of source=18 January 2024|archivedate=18 January 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118171725/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who-reference-mavity-mystery/|accessdate=13 May 2024}}</ref> This story was written by [[James Goss]], who also wrote [[The Giggle (novelisation)|the novelisation of ''The Giggle'']].
* The mavity joke did not translate well into the language on Baby Station Beta, which uses the Traditional Chinese alphabet. The term "表面重力" translates back as "surface gravity". No wordplay or phonetic symbols were used to try and replicate the joke.


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|2}}


[[Category:Gravity]]
[[Category:Jargon, slang and colloquialisms]]
[[Category:Jargon, slang and colloquialisms]]
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Latest revision as of 12:33, 21 July 2024

Due to a change in history, the concept of gravity became known as mavity.

History[[edit] | [edit source]]

Change in history[[edit] | [edit source]]

Isaac Newton misremembers the word "gravity" as "mavity". (TV: Wild Blue Yonder [+]Loading...["Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)"])

When Isaac Newton formed his concept of gravity in 1666 after an apple fell on his head while he was pondering under a tree, the Doctor's TARDIS crashed into the tree above him, and Donna Noble, despite the Fourteenth Doctor's initial attempts to stop her before he joined in, made a joke concerning the "gravity of [their] situation". After the TARDIS took off again, Newton grew confused and misremembered the "delightful word" they had said as "mavity", (TV: Wild Blue Yonder [+]Loading...["Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)"]) causing the term "gravity" to seemingly be retroactively erased from history and replaced by the word "mavity", (TV: Wild Blue Yonder [+]Loading...["Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)"], The Church on Ruby Road [+]Loading...["The Church on Ruby Road (TV story)"]) though the Fourteenth Doctor at least momentarily retained his knowledge of the original word. (TV: Wild Blue Yonder [+]Loading...["Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)"])

Some other terms were also impacted, such as the Doctor's usage of "mavity field". (TV: Wild Blue Yonder [+]Loading...["Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)"]) In contrast, some other terms appeared to be unaffected, such as the Doctor's usage of "antigrav". (TV: Dot and Bubble [+]Loading...["Dot and Bubble (TV story)"])

Meta-History[[edit] | [edit source]]

The usage of "mavity" would persist into the 43rd century, where people would refer to a "mavitational anomaly". (AUDIO: Oodunnit [+]Loading...["Oodunnit (audio story)"])

The Toymaker would directly, in acknowledging his readers, note that the time taken for a body to fall from a building was described by "Isaac Newton's law of mavity". (PROSE: The Giggle [+]Loading...["The Giggle (novelisation)"])

On 25 December 2023, the Fifteenth Doctor explained to Ruby Sunday that, when using his intelligent gloves, the mass, density and mavity would be tranferred from the user. Later, when he and went to escape from the Goblin ship, he adjusted his centre of mavity. (PROSE: The Church on Ruby Road [+]Loading...{"page":"","chaptnum":"Nine, Eleven","1":"The Church on Ruby Road (novelisation)"})

Mavity reading onscreen. (TV: Space Babies [+]Loading...["Space Babies (TV story)"])

The telepathic circuits translated the word "表面重力" in the language used by Baby Station Beta into "Mavity" for Ruby. (TV: Space Babies [+]Loading...["Space Babies (TV story)"])

While the Unravel was affecting histories of language, Melvart of the Dead & Endangered Languages department once investigated a peculiarity in various Earth languages related to the word which in English was "Mavity". These included Irish-Gaelic's Domhantarraingt, 17th century-24th century French's Mavité, and 14th century Italian's Mavità, which were all capitalised on principle, owing to the plentiful evidence that in all Earth languages where the matter was settled for certain, words with that meaning were capitalised, going all the way back to the earliest Indo-European sources. This investigation was dismissed due to 18th century-25th century English not being dead or endangered, and thus the purview of a different department in the Multiplicity. (PROSE: {{esquivalience}} [+]Loading...["Esquivalience (novel)","'\"`UNIQ--nowiki-0000001F-QINU`\"'"])

Reversion[[edit] | [edit source]]

At the point in meta-time in which Olivia Kagg Waldermein wrote Love & War: A Meta-Historical Investigation of the Dawn of the Cosmic Revolution, the matter of gravity's true name was a recent controversy among meta-historians. Among the meta-temporal uncertainty was a short-lived version of history where Gravity was known as "gevity" due to interference from followers of Epsilon the Watcher. The force was termed "gravity" from Waldermein's perspective after a time-interventionist claimed to put things right using clumsy methods, although at this point Isaac Newton was known as "Isaac Mewton". (PROSE: Love & War [+]Loading...["Love & War (short story)"])

Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Although the term "mavity" was said by the Fifteenth Doctor in The Church on Ruby Road [+]Loading...["The Church on Ruby Road (TV story)"], actors Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson were not informed why it was used instead of "gravity" and would not find out until the airdate of Wild Blue Yonder [+]Loading...["Wild Blue Yonder (TV story)"].[1]
  • In the DWU, Isaac Newton is depicted in Wild Blue Yonder having coined the word "gravity", and later, "mavity". In the real world, however, "gravity" was not coined by Newton. The etymology of the word is derived from the Latin gravitas, meaning "weight".
  • While the term "mavity" was invented for Wild Blue Yonder, it made its first appearance in the Big Finish Torchwood audio Oodunnit.[2][3] This story was written by James Goss, who also wrote the novelisation of The Giggle.
  • The mavity joke did not translate well into the language on Baby Station Beta, which uses the Traditional Chinese alphabet. The term "表面重力" translates back as "surface gravity". No wordplay or phonetic symbols were used to try and replicate the joke.

References[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. IMDb YouTube channel (9 May 2024). Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson Answer Fan Questions for DOCTOR WHO. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2024-05-24.
  2. James Goss (2024-01-16). "Could you just say it wrong?". Archived from the original on 2024-06-07.
  3. Joe George (18 January 2024). A Sneaky Doctor Who Reference Makes “Mavity” an Even More Intriguing Mystery. Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved on 13 May 2024.