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Topic Options #196982 - 02/04/11 08:19 AM Re: verdigris abelcandoit stranger Registered: 01/07/08 Posts: 2 Since "gris" is French for "grey", why doesn't verdigris simply mean "grey green" or "greenish grey"? The Greek connection seems obscure and might even have been a 14th century joke. Top #196987 - 02/04/11 09:29 AM Re: verdigris [Re: abelcandoit] tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Registered: 04/03/00 Posts: 10538 Loc: this too shall pass Etymology (from OED online): < Anglo-Norman and Old French vert de Grece (c1170), Old French verte grez (13th cent.), vert de grice (1314), vert-de-gris (15th cent.; also modern French), lit. ‘green of Greece’: see vert n.1 Compare medieval Latin viride grecum (14–15th cent.). The terminal syllable at an early date was no longer understood and hence underwent various corruptions of spelling and pronunciation. NB: note earlier dates Top Previous Topic Index Next Topic Preview Hop to: General Topics ------   Information and announcements   Q&A about words   Wordplay and fun   Words and languages in schools   Miscellany   Weekly Themes   Looking for (writers, speakers, ...) (Old) Weekly themes. (have been consolidated into a single forum above) ------   Words from medicine   Beheading words   Meta-words   Words from classical mythology   Animal Safari   Words with unusual etymologies   Eponyms or words derived from people's names.   Loanwords from German   English as a global language Moderator:  Jackie  Print Topic Switch to Threaded Mode View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM View homepage Add to your Watched Users View posts Forum Stats 8947 Members 16 Forums 13866 Topics 222213 Posts Max Online: 3341 @ 12/09/11 02:15 PM Newest Members michor, Daksh1, geoffhargreaves, Guadalupe, may2point0 8947 Registered Users Who's Online 1 registered (wofahulicodoc), 34 Guests and 7 Spiders online. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod Top Posters (30 Days) wofahulicodoc 65 LukeJavan8 53 may2point0 19 Tromboniator 3 geoffhargreaves 1 jheem 1 Top Posters wwh 13858 Faldage 13803 Jackie 11613 tsuwm 10538 LukeJavan8 8438 Buffalo Shrdlu 7210 wofahulicodoc 6799 AnnaStrophic 6511 Wordwind 6296 of troy 5400

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