|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Another word I haven't seen for quite a while:
"'I conquered 'em, spectacularly,' goes on King Shane, 'and then I went at 'em with economical politics, law, sleight-of-hand, and a kind of New England ethics and parsimony. Every Sunday, or as near as I can guess at it, I preach to 'em in the council-house (I'm the council) on the law of supply and demand. I praise supply and knock
demand. I use the same text every time. You wouldn't think, W. D.,' says Shane, 'that I had poetry in me, would you?'"
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
Definition: \Par"si*mo*ny\, n. [L. parsimonia, parcimonia; cf.
parcere to spare, parsus sparing: cf. F. parcimonie.]
Closeness or sparingness in the expenditure of money; --
generally in a bad sense; excessive frugality; niggardliness.
--Bacon.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
Yes, I do like parsimony and, even better, parsimonious, which is great fun to say and doesn't have anything to do, I suppose, with parsnips and parsley.
Cross-thread ref: jheem just pointed out that there's a linguistic connection among such words as souse, salt and salad. I don't suppose parsley slides in there, too? Probably not, but I'm just wondering.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear WW: If a parson committed simony, would that make him guilty of parsimony?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
veteran
|
|
veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
That'd be neat, but parsley is from ME persley from OE petersilie from VL petrosilium from Greek petros 'stone' plus selinon 'celery'.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
Stone celery? Why 'stone'? How interesting. But why 'stone'? Certainly nothing to do with rocks?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
veteran
|
|
veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
Not sure. I'll look into it further. Could be a folk etymology redo of some loanword into Greek.
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,915
Posts229,996
Members9,198
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
700
guests, and
1
robot. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
