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from schnorren to schnurren to: to purr, hum, or whir purr: 1601, of imitative origin. hum:.1374, hommen "make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment," later hummen "to buzz, drone" (c.1420), probably of imitative origin. Sense of "sing with closed lips" is first attested c.1485; that of "be busy and active" is 1884, perhaps on analogy of a beehive. Humming-bird (1637) so called from sound made by the rapid vibration of its wings. "There is a curious bird to see to, called a humming bird, no bigger then a great Beetle." [Thomas Morton, "New English Canaan," 1637] whir: 1400, Scottish, "fling, hurl," probably from O.N. hvirfla, freq. of hverfa "to turn" (see wharf). Cf. Dan. hvirvle, Du. wervelen, Ger. wirbeln "to whirl." schnurren: 27 defs. of 'schnurren' 27 defs to cats' purring (German cats)
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Odd, how close whir and whirl are.
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Odd, how close whir and whirl are. what the l?
formerly known as etaoin...
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You invented the word but actually you are the postergeist!
[All three words defining 'schnurren' express a state of contentment. I can see someone purring or humming with contentment, basking in someones generosity, but whir? Or even wirl? Makes me think of whirling dervishes. Or washing machines].
Ik wervel in uw goedertierenheid. Nah!
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You invented the word but actually you are the postergeist! erm, not by my thought of the word.
formerly known as etaoin...
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It's a two definition word:
1)a person who starts a topic and subsequently abandons it.
2)a poster (Jackie!)who jumps through the maze of threads with tiny jesty remarks.
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not by my thought of the word
The word in question is not even a week out of eta's mind's matrix and already its meaning is changing.
ἐξίσταται γὰρ πάντ' ἀπ' ἀλλήλων δίχα [Euripides, Eumenides, Tailor]
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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old hand
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not by my thought of the word
The word in question is not even a week out of eta's mind's matrix and already its meaning is changing.
ἐξίσταται γὰρ πάντ' ἀπ' ἀλλήλων δίχα [Euripides, Eumenides, Tailor] Huh? "Be amazed that all turn against one another," ...or something like that?
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"For all things change, making way for each other" ( link).
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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[Euripides, Eumenides, Tailor] iceberg
formerly known as etaoin...
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iceberg
Lettuce envision whirled peas.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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not by my thought of the word
The word in question is not even a week out of eta's mind's matrix and already its meaning is changing.
ἐξίσταται γὰρ πάντ' ἀπ' ἀλλήλων δίχα [Euripides, Eumenides, Tailor] Oh, no. No, not changing, a meaning added. The first meaning stands. But it is ,woops!( forgot this multi-interpretable thing) World Peas??? World Peace!
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not changing
To me a change can include bifurcation into polysemy.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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"For all things change, making way for each other" ( link). ...yeah, well, lol, my Greek is a little rusty and a few hundred years out of phase with the quote - I studied Koine not Classical. Best I could do off the top of my head. I mistook the main verb for Koine εξίστημι, which I presume is the same word, from εξ- plus ίστημι 'to stand', but the meaning of which had changed to "be amazed" in Koine. A good illustration of the quote itself! I don't think Koine uses the word to mean change. It would use μεταβάλλω, μεταλλάσσω or μετατίθημι or similar I think.
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It had the meaning of amaze in Classical Greek, too, ( link). It's interesting that the same construction in Latin exsisto (showing the same archaic reduplication as the Greek form) means rather 'to come, appear; exist' but not 'to amaze'.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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not changing
To me a change can include bifurcation into polysemy. Understood, agreed , but those words you use keep amazing me. And that link: a maze!
Last edited by BranShea; 03/26/08 08:16 AM.
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It had the meaning of amaze in Classical Greek, too, ( link). It's interesting that the same construction in Latin exsisto (showing the same archaic reduplication as the Greek form) means rather 'to come, appear; exist' but not 'to amaze'. Interesting. It seems to have come from the idea of being 'displaced' - taken out of oneself as it were - a similar concept to several English idioms such as 'being beside yourself' (with grief, amazement, etc) or being 'out of your mind.'
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Onomatopoeia still delivers a buzz after all these years.
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