Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#85761 11/05/02 07:11 PM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
the Greek oion, meaning “egg.”

Any connection between the Greek word for 'egg' and the English one for 'onion'?

They look similar. Is it just a coincidence? (Come to think of it, coincidence is starting to look like eggs and onions, too.


#85762 11/06/02 01:36 AM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Doesn't oion mean eye, does anyone know?


#85763 11/06/02 09:30 AM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Here's one url that shows "oion" as "egg" (look down the list):

http://clouseart.com/Ron/weeklyinvert/glossary/Invert_Glossary.html

I'll check the oion/eye connection, too, on Google.


#85764 11/06/02 10:09 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
R
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
R
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Maybe the answer is bloin in the wordwind?


#85765 11/06/02 10:53 AM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Onion comes from a Latin word meaning large pearl. Oion does mean egg according to my Greek dictionary.


#85766 11/06/02 12:11 PM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Thanks, Faldage.

When you have a chance, would you check out Jackie's question about the Greek word for eye? I tried to google oion and eye, but didn't have any luck in making a direct connection between the two.

I like the connection between onion and large pearl--some of those large onion pearls are a lot larger than others, and, of course, we have "pearl onions," which could be considered to be a redundancy: pearl pearl or pearl large pearl.


#85767 11/06/02 02:08 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Wordwind has been eating Dr. Seuss's Green eggs and Ham.


#85768 11/06/02 02:15 PM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
W
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Greek Eggs and Large Pearls

...for those mornings when you can't find the ham. I'll tell you one thing, fersure: a diet of Greek Eggs and Large Pearls would give you an abundance of calcium carbonate!


#85769 11/07/02 04:45 PM
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
M
old hand
Offline
old hand
M
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
Greek Eggs....Onions....Pearls....Eyes....

"Those are pearls that were his eyes" - Shakes.



Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,374
Members9,182
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 162 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,562
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,919
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5