But if the true origin is obscure, the Japanese have improved and popularized the style considerably. Today, the style is generally accepted as Japanese. Asians greatly value the ability to work with almost every part of the human anatomy, not just the hands. Western jugglers, who prefer to work with their hands, have been slow in understanding this style of juggling. As late as the middle of the nineteenth century, only Orientals and exotics did extensive body manipulations.
Some writers note that the Latin word ventilator meant juggler or thrower of knives.
Not all Latin scholars, however, are in agreement. An occupation not clearly defined and often combined with other forms of entertainment obviously presented a word problem for the old Romans. There is strong evidence that the precise word was missing. It was from joculator that the French made up joglar , which later became jongleur. The basic sound of joculator then spilled over into many languages, so that today it is almost necessary to dig into the exotic languages to find a difference.