I am the owner of an adventure company called Sacred Rides Mountain Bike Holidays. For reasons too lengthy too discuss here we have to change our company name. A big part of our mandate is contributing to local communities and keeping communities vibrant.

We're looking for a foreign (i.e. non-US English) word that might reflect the concept of community, or the concept of interrelatedness: that we are all related and connected. Obviously the word has to have some appeal to English language speakers. A 6-syllable word with 15 consonants probably won't make a good company name.

Thanks for your help. By the way, if you have such a word, you can submit it at our website and enter to win a free trip to Peru worth $2195: http://www.sacredrides.com

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sacredrides,

I assume, when you say "foreign" that you mean non-English. Or do you simply mean non-US English?

What's the URL? A fuller understanding of what you are and do might make it easier to come up with a word.

Not to mention the prize...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Valentine,

sorry, I have edited the post in response to both of your questions. Thanks!

I would hope we could come up with something, sacredrides. Also, we hope, even when you do get the answer, that you'll stay here.

Don't tell Bob about the prize. I don't relish trying to make up a lim about him riding a bike off a Peruvian cliff.

Ah. Good news. I will extend the "little grey cells".

sacredrides:

1) Your website contest doesn't mention the foreign word requirement.
2) Need it be just one word?
3) Need it really be foreign, or would an obscure English word do?
4) Does it have to be a foreign word with the "community" meaning, or would a foreign word that means, say, alley cat, but appears to folks from .ca as signifying "community" do?
5) Is availability of a TLD a factor?
6) Need it be an existing word at all? Xerox, Kodak, etc.
7) How about a 5 letter proper name with 4 consonants.

1) the website doesn't mention it, but this is something I just thought would work better than the suggestions I've been getting so far.
2) could be more than one word.
3) obscure English word would do fine
4) sure, I like your thinking. basically, I'm looking for something 'out of the box' - think APple computers (what do apples have to do with computers?) or Google. You know.
5) what's TLD?
6) no, I suppose it doesn't need to be an existing word
7) Hmm... I don't think so. But I suspect you're being facetious here.

5) what's TLD?

Top-level domain, e.g., the com in apple.com. In this case, I think Val meant should we be concerned if the domain is unregistered or cheaply bought? Before you call your business Apple Rides, you should check out with a domain registry (or by using a whois utility) to see if applerides.com is available. (It is).

Thanks for the responses.

Re #7, yes, I was being facetious. (I had Brcic in mind.)

Re TLD. Yes, that was what I meant. A related concern is that the most likely TLD not be in use by some undesirable company, e.g., applerides.com selling small arms ammunition.

So I know this thread looks like it has died down, but I think I have just such a word. As soon as you read it, you'll realise that you can't use it as is, but it could be a beginning. The word is "Ubuntu".

Other than being a Linux distro, it is the isiZulu word for a concept that is nearly ubiquitous in African moral philosophy: that human beings belong to a community, that we achieve our humanity only together and never apart.

The heart of the philosophy is found in a phrase that again exists in various languages. The isiZulu version is "umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu" which means "a person is a person through other people".

while you obviously can't use "ubuntu", the concept is universal enough that you should be able to find a near synonym in another African language. "Ujamaa", which is Swahili, comes close. There must be a Ghanaian equivalent, as writers like Gyekye have been discussing ubuntu for years. His English writings call the philosophy "communitarian" but I'm sure you could find the Akan word with a little googling.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: platonique,

Platonique's suggestion is excellent. I'd also like to suggest a more mundane, but appropriate word, "mandala." It's a wheel shape, and you're using wheels in both the bicycle and the sacred shape.

thank you asa and platonique. Your suggestions are a fantastic start, and now I have some homework to do!

As a bicyclist myself, I'm interested in what you choose for your new name. I'm also interested in why it must be changed. Please PM me if you aren't comfortable making it public.

Hi Asa:

we have to change our name for a couple of reasons:

1) we've had feedback from several people who are confused about the 'sacred' part of the name. They seem to think there's some sort of religious connotation (the name actually came from an amazing ride I did in the Sacred Valley of Peru)

2) there is a bike shop in Nelson, BC called 'The Sacred Ride' and they are threatening legal action, which on its own i wouldn't be too concerned about (their area of business reach is quite small), but coupled with item #1, leads me to want to seek a new brand and name to really guide us through the next 10 to 20 years.

If you want to keep informed, go to the website: http://www.sacredrides.com and sign up for the newsletter. We'll be opening up the name suggestions to voting next week.

Cheers,

Mike

quote: you obviously can't use "ubuntu"

Why not? If you're concerned about copyright (etc.) violation, I'd think you needn't be concerned with the Linux term. The Linux usage would bar another usage in the computer field, but I believe your field is quite distinct, and thus that usage by you would not generate confusion with Linux's usage. Ask your lawyer.

Out of the several-thousand words I've presented here, ubuntu is one of my all-time favorites. See here and, secondarily, here.