I was intrigued by the alternate spelling of Dunkirk. There is a small town near here called Albuquerque, and often referred to as "Albukirk." Originally the complete name was La Ciudad del Duque de Alburquerque, hence another nickname, Duke City. The extra 'r' was lost over time. I have the sense that the -kirk part of Dunkirk means church. Does the -erque part of Dunkerque come from the same stem? Would that also apply to Alburquerque?
Hi DLS, and welcome.
I don't know much at all about Flemish, but to start you off:
Dunkerque is the French spelling. Duyn Kerke, in the original Flemish, means church of the dunes. Since church in French is l’eglise, I guess the ‘kerque’ has no real meaning, but has just slid across from 'kerke'. German would be kirche.
I meant to add - you probably know already - there is a town called Albuquerque in Andalucia, Spain
Albuquerque comes from Latin meaning "white oak". I can't find any connection to "church"
which goes back to Greek "kyriacos" meaning "belonging to the Lord".
I almost choked on my Crystal Light at that one. I'm wondering whence you hail in NM that you would refer to Albuquerque as a small town. Also, have spent considerable time bicycling in your fair state, and have neither heard the Kirk pronunciation nor encountered a reference to Duke City.
Dear TEd: His profile says he's from New Mexico. Maybe he's just not the booster type.
Just another note on the white oak, one of my favorite trees--we have over 30 white oaks in the grove here on the farm.
The botanical name for the white oaks is Quercus alba...Oak white.
Never made the connection to Albuquerque, so this is glad news for me.
I'm from Las Cruces, the 2nd largest town in New Mexico. Maybe it was indigestion from the sour grapes.
I don't think bicyclists would say Albukirk or Duke City. They're generally too young for that. You'd have to talk to an old farmer or cowboy or maybe a roughneck to hear it.
Until the city fathers recently decided that the local minor league baseball team needed a spiffier image, the team was called the Albuquerque Dukes. Now they are the "Topes," which I suppose is a reference to the isotopic, glowing aura of New Mexico being the birthplace of the atom bomb.
Welcome to you, DLS.
the team was called the Albuquerque Dukes. Now they are the "Topes," which I suppose is a reference to the isotopic, glowing aura of New Mexico being the birthplace of the atom bomb.
Oh, that is sick, sick, sick!
The coach should be concerned that in a huddle they might go critical.
My dictionary gives three words spelled "tope". None of them seem very apt as a name
for a team.
ope 1
vt., vi.
toped, top4ing 5Fr toper, to accept the stakes in gambling (prob. < ODu topp, touch): E meaning given here is prob. from the custom of drinking to the conclusion of the wager6 [Archaic] to drink (alcoholic liquor) in large amounts and often
tope 2
n.
5Hindi top, ult. < Sans stdpa, a mound, tope6 a Buddhist shrine in the form of a dome with a cupola
tope 3
n.
5< ? Cornish6 a small, gray, European requiem shark (Galeorhinus galeus)
And what in the world is a "requiem shark"? Does it sing a Mass for its deceased victims?
Requiem sharks – Family Carcharhinidae
Tiger sharks, lemon sharks, bull sharks, the grey reef sharks and the white sharks belong to the family of Carcharhinidae.
Requiem sharks have 5 gill openings. Young are born fully developed. They are sleek active swimmers. Includes several dangerous species.
I couldn’t find anything convincing regarding the reason for their name. The following comments were made in various places:
· Requiem sharks are the most abundant of the sharks, named for their tendency to school near the surface. (Sounds good, but I don’t understand the connection.)
· named from the shrieks of their victims. (Very Gothic!)
· A "requiem" is a hymn or mass for the dead! This could be a symbolic way of telling us that this is a pretty aggressive shark! (Suspect that this is closest, but although some types of requiem shark are dangerous, some are not.)
Here is a link to learn more about requiem sharks:
http://www.oceanoasis.org/fieldguide/carcharhinus.html
Wow, dxb--you've certainly piqued my interest! I cannot find any clue as to why they're called requiem sharks. If anyone does, please post!
Requiem is the accusative singular of requies, rest, repose, for what that's worth. Maybe they rest near the surface.
Maybe they rest near the surface.
I seem to remember reading somewhere that sharks have to keep moving or they die. Maybe something to do with not having a swim bladder.
Thanks for the information. In New Mexico, there is only scrub oak, that I have seen, no white oaks. But there probably are or were white oaks in Andalusia, Spain. When the Conquistadores who were sponsored by the Andalusian Duque de Alburquerque came, they dutifully named their outpost below the scrub oaks of the Sandia mountains after their sponsor, La Ciudad del Duque de Alburquerque. A year or so ago, the current Duque came from Spain to visit our little outpost. I think he got the key to the city, but no land titles.
As for the Topes, everyone I know thinks the name is ridiculous.
everyone I know thinks the name is ridiculous
But what does the cap look like?
>But what do the cap look like?
http://snurl.com/rodrod o.
Or either
http://www.ballcap.com/ballpix/hats/ISOFI95.GIF for the Springfield Isotopes. You be the judge.
Albuquerque comes from Latin meaning "white oak" The botanical name for the white oaks is Quercus alba...Oak white.
That's right! It just hit me (again)! Albu--men: egg whites.
Well, DLS, I actually like the caps (thanks, tsuwm!). And at least your team name isn't as ridiculous as ours: the Riverbats [shudder].