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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
> I've been especially confused by "pineapple". Is it really in reference to apples? Or am I sounding stupid by just asking that?
Well, a + o, my old fruit, if you are stupid, then so am I - it is a name that has always puzzled me. Although it doesn't really taste much like an apple, I suppose it tastes more like an apple than an orange, or even a pear. It's general appearance is faintly reminiscent of a pine-cone, I suppose. Could this be the etymological base for its name?
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
>sweet william (which incidentally is a lovely flower
It certainly is - but how about the Sweet Afton? That is also a beautiful flower (although also a fairly disgusting Irish cigarette!) which flows quietly through some of the most beatiful countryside in the world.
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
>I've been especially confused by "pineapple".
I don't know where it got the apple part, but it was called PINEapple because it definitely resembles a pine cone.
TEd
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409 |
just wondering why "kiwi" can't mean both the bird and the fruit""When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less." I guess my response belonged more in the "pet peeves" thread. "Kiwifruit" tends to bespelled as one word here in New Zealand. I have an "Australasian" gardening book, which like most things "Australasian" means that the percentage of non-Australian content is rougly equal to the amount of naturally occuring xenon in the atmosphere. This tome spells it as two words, which I guess is the standard outside the Shaky Isles. Part of the reason for the preference in NZ for "kiwifruit" is that the "kiwi" in the name derives from the informal designation for New Zealanders, rather than the Maori name for the bird. The Maori language is considered a "taonga" or treasure, and there is great emphasis laid on using it correctly. It's possible that this attitude is at least partly responsible for the preference shown for "kiwifruit." In the end, my response was probably more the result of cultural conditioning than linguistic dogmatism. Maybe if we all reverted to "Chinese gooseberry" the problem would be solved. The kiwifruit of today bears little resemblance to the small, tart fruit of a vine that grew wild in China, and, if I remember rightly, was considered noxious there. Sorry for the ramble, especially because it has tempted me to start an entirely new thread on some of the other nuances of New Zealand English which get overlooked by others. 
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
One of my kids, who shall remain nameless but is probably not my daughter, has mislaid our Encarta CD. I tried several 'net sources with no luck, and finally decided to try the Bookshelf CD that came with our computer.
AND...it says that pineapple came from Middle English
pinappel (pine cone). Columbus introduced it to Europe in 1793.
Bookshelf also informed me that apple comes from Middle
English appel, which comes from Old English aeppel.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
Using the lateral thinking that allows us to meander wherever we please, I thought you might be interested in a local folly. Apparently pineapples are a sign of welcome, hence their inclusion in the stonework in imposing entrances to country houses. This pineapple is rather bigger: http://www.landmarktrust.co.uk/
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
Ah yes, the Meander, another beautiful flower.
Bingley
Bingley
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
>Ah yes, the Meander, another beautiful flower.< Hey, watch out, or the megyne will come at you 
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
Sorry,wseiber, but what is the megyne?
Bingley
Bingley
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094 |
pinappel (pine cone). Columbus introduced it to Europe in 1793.
I find that rather difficult to believe, considering Columbus would have been dead for almost 300 years.
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