My name originates in a philosopher joke. That sounds like a contradiction in terms. Philosophers are not known for a lively sense of humor.

It happened this way. One day in the agora, Plato was discussing the whichness of why with his disciples. Somebody asked, “What is a man?” Plato replied “Man is a featherless biped.” That sounds silly, but it’s not the joke.

The joker was Diogenes. Personally I wouldn’t look to Diogenes for a sense of humor. He was a sour and embittered sort, even for a philosopher. But he was the original Cynic, so what can you expect? The next day Diogenes replied to Plato's definition by bringing a living plucked [censored] to the Academy. Diogenes threw the naked – and thoroughly irritated - bird in front of Plato and asked "Is this a man, then?"

Now you know why professors of philosophy don't make good stand-up comics. Plato amended his definition to “Man is a featherless biped with broad nails.”

If you tell this story in Latin, "featherless biped" is animal bipes implume .