July 04, 2009, 08:07
Robert ArvanitisFloral Terms
Interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal, on the origins of floral terms.
http://online.wsj.com/article/...od=djemEditorialPage(Let me know if the link does not work properly, and I'll post the text directly.)
July 04, 2009, 09:02
BobHaleDandelion is quite interesting. As it says in the article it derives from the French "dent de lion" (lion's teeth). What I like is the fact that the English word is derived from the
sound of the French word where the German word - Löwenzahn - is derived from the
translation of the parts of the word.
July 04, 2009, 17:12
zmježd DandelionFunny they didn't mention that
dandelion is a euphemism in French for the real name of the plant which is
pisenlit 'piss-a-bed'.
July 05, 2009, 01:31
BobHalequote:
Originally posted by zmježd:
Dandelion
Funny they didn't mention that dandelion is a euphemism in French for the real name of the plant which is pisenlit 'piss-a-bed'.
Which in turn is used in direct translation in some (including mine) regional slang variants for the plant.
Ain't language wonderful?
July 05, 2009, 05:35
Robert ArvanitisSo if dandelions are a natural diuretic (http://www.safesupplements.co.uk/why-dandelion-natural-diuretic.html), and if the Greeks use it often in salads (http://greekfood.about.com/od/soupsstews/r/horta.htm), then that explains a few things about my childhood...
July 05, 2009, 21:51
wordmaticI think maybe dandelion is also called "pisalit" in French because of the way it smells. It's really not a very pleasing odor!
Wordmatic
July 06, 2009, 20:52
KallehThat was a very nice article, Robert. Thank you! Because of the downsizing of the Chicago Tribune (economics) they have stopped their linguistics column, and I miss it terribly.
In 2005 the word a day was "
clock ," which is the downy flower-head of the dandelion.