I discovered today the word butter has Greek origin! The following is from linguist and dean of the University of Athens, George Babiniotis: In ancient and modern Greek the word is boutiron, pronounced voutiron. That is bous (pronounced vous= ox)+tiron (= cheese, genitive). > Latin: butyrum > Old English: butere > Modern English: butter, French: beurre, Italian: burro.
The letter Beta is only pronounced like V in modern Greek. In ancient Greek it was a B. That's why Greek words that came into Latin use the B sound, like "bibliography." So in ancient Greek it was BOO-ti-ron. Many years ago I remember reading a passage by a Greek linguist, commenting on the sound sheep make. The ancient Greeks transcribed it as BHH (beta eta eta), which was a very good rendition of BAA-AA-AAH. Eta in ancient Greek was pronounced rather close to the short A in American (but not British) English "hand." In modern Greek, Eta has slipped down to the EE in "beet" and Beta has softened into a V, so reading that transcription today it comes out as VEE-EE-EE. The Greek remarked that the sheep still knew how to speak their own language but the Greeks had forgotten theirs.
It seems I should have written "pronounced today vootiron". Thanks for the correction Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I found this about the sheep story: http://www.foundalis.com/lan/betapro.htm
nillionaire Person without any money of their own. He looks rich but it's all borrowed and his bank account is nil, he's a nillionaire. Everything's in his wife's name, he's just a nillionaire.
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Could you give a reference. Or explain what you mean. I've not heard of Anderoo. Is it a horse? I've googled it, and it was the name of a horse at the Sydney Olympics http://www.horsesensenutrition.com/testimonials.htm "Horse Sense" did wonders for him. I feel like trying it myself.
How about pillionaire Someone who can't even afford their own bike. or a swillionaire A man with many pigs or a Jillionaire A man with a lovely wife called Jill. Plus: Krillionaires All Humpack Whales, Millionaires Very poor Billionaires, And, Lastly, Illionaires Rich medical workers.
* * * * MODERATOR'S NOTE * * * * STICKY RULES: Please provide the etymology for this word--or at least do your best to try to track it down. Thanks!
Etymos is the Greek for Real and Logos is the word for Word On this thread it's best to say what ancient words mean. Personally, I knew Logos but not Etymos, and had to look it up.
yarr! a word often used by pirates whenever they have experienced a loss or pain Yarr! My pirate's booty has been stolen.
Rules of pirate-speak: (Eight and ups only please) Speak in a deep voice Double up your adjectives. For example, pirates would not say a 'big ship', they would say a 'great, grand ship'. Drop the letter 'g' at the end of a word - for example 'sailing' becomes 'sailin' and 'fighting' becomes 'fightin' Drop the letter 'v' from words - 'never' becomes 'ne'er' and 'over' becomes 'o'er' Pirates always say 'I be' instead of 'I am' and 'You be' instead of 'You are'. From http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_5360000/newsid_5360100/5360186.stm
Maybe he was just shaking it too hard and it fell off. What does that mean??? Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? (Spongebob Squarepants!) Absorbent and yellow and porous is he. (Spongebob Squarepants!) If nautical nonsense be something you wish, (Spongebob Squarepants!) Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish.
Please explain. To my generation it's just the title of a doo-wop song from the 1950s. We figured the lyrics had been dashed out by an American who knew even less about British nobility than we did.
Is that Ker as in the story Deathstalker, or another Ker. “Deathstalker…” One Man’s Vengeful Quest …..Against Death Itself Deep depression clung to him like the black garb he wore as his horse ‘ker-plocked’ along the deserted road. He saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing. The gaunt black stallion had borne him through peasant towns and villages. Past farmers with ox carts laden with goods and silk traders from the East and furriers from the mountains north of Zurabbale…and all stared. For, in all their travels in various lands and climes they had never seen a man nor his steed so guant and sullen, forlorn… and downcast. He sobbed silently. Like rivlets from a brief storm tears cascaded from reddened hollow eyes that ever lay fixed on the road. Never looking up at passers by. Always down. As if they feared to look to where they were going, and mourned the fact of where they’d been… Nothing moved him any more. Not laughing children or weeping women. Not boisterous men nor hungry wolves. All avoided him as he passed, his melancholy a pall the followed him and a shield of dread that surrounded and preceded him so that even animals were repelled or grew edgy when he passed. A black sword imprinted with silver studs ‘tinked’ against his metal stirrup. It was the only sound that either he or his horse made. He had been riding thus for three days. Non stop. Day and night. The horse, walking…walking…no strength to gallop. No food for man nor beast for three days. No desire to eat. It was as if the horse too were as melancholy as the rider. So, on the fourth day it collapsed. Spilling black-caped rider, mood and all, to the wet ground. It whineyed once and died. He—the rider, lay where he had fallen, still-listening to the horse breath its last breath, wishing he were dead too. Here, again, he thought wearily, I am responsible for the death of another… http://authorsden.com/visit/viewShortStory.asp?AuthorID=41122&id=22356
halo2sis An oral problem amongst some Halo 2 fanatics. Dude, I was so tired from playing H2 all night I forgot to brush my teeth before I went to bed. Again. I need some Listerine for this halo2sis or I’ll never get laid.