Search found 545 matches
- Mon May 12, 2014 3:20 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: Firm
- Replies: 4
- Views: 6524
Re: Firm
All that came to mind, Bob, is that the English word farm derives (via French) from Medieval Latin firma meaning a 'fixed payment'. Not sure what gibbets and firmae have to do with one another.
- Mon Mar 10, 2014 3:10 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: CREMAINS
- Replies: 3
- Views: 5069
Re: CREMAINS
I first heard the word cremains used back in 2002, when I had to transport my father-in-law's cremains from Ohio to California. The word was used by the funeral director and on the paperwork we filled out.
- Mon Mar 10, 2014 3:07 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: ur- (the prefix)
- Replies: 5
- Views: 9348
Re: ur- (the prefix)
The German prefix ur- is related to the or- in ordeal (< Old English ordāl 'judgment'); the English word is related to the German word Urteil 'judgement'.
- Sat Nov 23, 2013 5:19 pm
- Forum: Miscellaneous
- Topic: A Caramel Cake? / flan
- Replies: 14
- Views: 15468
Re: A Caramel Cake? / flan
What the British call flan, I would call a custard tart. What they call crème caramel, I would call flan. Flan, where I live, is a common dessert menu choice in many Mexican restaurants. The only places I've had custard tarts is at dim sum restaurants and Chinese bakeries.
- Fri Nov 22, 2013 12:07 am
- Forum: Miscellaneous
- Topic: A Caramel Cake? / flan
- Replies: 14
- Views: 15468
Re: A Caramel Cake?
it is not a flan as it does not have a case
This is is perhaps case of UK English diverging from the French and Spanish flans. The item shown in the opening post is called flan here in the western portion of the USA. See the Wikipedia article.
This is is perhaps case of UK English diverging from the French and Spanish flans. The item shown in the opening post is called flan here in the western portion of the USA. See the Wikipedia article.
- Tue Nov 19, 2013 9:50 pm
- Forum: Miscellaneous
- Topic: A Caramel Cake? / flan
- Replies: 14
- Views: 15468
Re: A Caramel Cake?
Here on the Left Coast of the States, we tend to call it flan.
- Fri Apr 12, 2013 12:46 pm
- Forum: Oh, and have you read...?
- Topic: How foreign languages mutate English words
- Replies: 6
- Views: 16700
Re: How foreign languages mutate English words
You may already know that in the UK, 'beamer' is also a colloquial term for a BMW car.
Same here in the States, Erik. When I first heard "beamer" used (in the wild), I explained this meaning in English and my German friends werre shocked.
Same here in the States, Erik. When I first heard "beamer" used (in the wild), I explained this meaning in English and my German friends werre shocked.
- Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:04 pm
- Forum: Oh, and have you read...?
- Topic: How foreign languages mutate English words
- Replies: 6
- Views: 16700
Re: How foreign languages mutate English words
My favorite English-to-German loanword is "beamer" for video projector.
- Mon Mar 18, 2013 8:09 pm
- Forum: Usage and Writing
- Topic: phonesthesia [phonaesthesia ]
- Replies: 6
- Views: 5878
Re: phonesthetia
It's also spelled phonaesthesia and called sound symbolism. (I did not find anything relevant searching those on the site.)
- Tue Feb 12, 2013 11:04 pm
- Forum: Oh, and have you read...?
- Topic: computer program can reconstruct dead languages
- Replies: 3
- Views: 14479
Re: computer program can reconstruct dead languages
I looked up Professor Klein at Cal (link) and was pleased to find some interesting software posted online that he has written or contributed to. The first one I tested and downloaded was a parser for English. It's pretty good.
- Fri Jan 25, 2013 3:21 pm
- Forum: Usage and Writing
- Topic: ... vira ...viri ... viruses ??
- Replies: 29
- Views: 13796
Re: ... vira ...viri ... viruses ??
Thanks for pointing out the link, which I missed the first and second time I looked over this topic. I did notice that the author of the piece alleges that pelagus another second declension neuter noun 'sea' lacked a plural, but according to Hale & Buck, to whom I linked, there is ararew plural (usi...
- Thu Jan 24, 2013 6:13 pm
- Forum: Usage and Writing
- Topic: ... vira ...viri ... viruses ??
- Replies: 29
- Views: 13796
Re: ... vira ...viri ... viruses ??
In any case, the reference in the post on page 1 says that there was no Latin plural for their virus. You talking to me or the other guy. I did not see any reference (link or Ken's summary of virus in English?) in the post on page 1. I was not so much posting about the plural of virus in English, w...
- Thu Jan 24, 2013 1:12 pm
- Forum: Usage and Writing
- Topic: ... vira ...viri ... viruses ??
- Replies: 29
- Views: 13796
... vira ...viri ... viruses ??
Viri is the correct plural of virus (slime) and also rather coincidentally vir (man) so perhaps the computer will be safe from him as well. A lot of strange opinions about Latin plurals. (And a thread that predates my joining these forums. While many nouns that end in - us in Latin are masculine, n...
- Wed Jan 23, 2013 6:11 pm
- Forum: Word Origins and Meanings
- Topic: Middle English
- Replies: 5
- Views: 4900
Re: Middle English
Middle English biȜetel 'profitable (bargain)'.
- Mon Nov 26, 2012 2:44 pm
- Forum: Usage and Writing
- Topic: multi-word nouns?
- Replies: 15
- Views: 11022
Re: multi-word nouns?
But this is English. OK. Confine yourself to English. If by 'any theory' you have the idea of a universal consistent interpretation of two orthographic words (ie separated by a white space) being two separate parts of speech (eg adjective + noun, or noun + noun) and never one, this isn't the way th...