51吃瓜 of the Day
krummholz
noun
a forest of stunted trees near the timber line on a mountain.
More about krummholz
The German noun Krummholz, literally 鈥渃rooked wood,鈥� means 鈥渁 forest of stunted trees near the timber line; elfinwood.鈥� The German adjective krumm 鈥渂ent, crooked, warped, stooping, devious鈥� is related to British dialectal words crump 鈥渂ent, crooked鈥� and crumpback (also crump-back) 鈥渉unchback.鈥� The German noun Holz 鈥渨ood鈥� is related to English holt and Old Norse holt. The Germanic nouns derive from Proto-Germanic hulto-, from keld-, an extended form of the Proto-Indo-European root kel- 鈥渢o cut, hit.鈥� Keld- is the source of Greek 办濒谩诲辞蝉 鈥渢wig, branch, shoot鈥� (and the English taxonomic term clade), and Slavic (Polish) 办艂辞诲补 鈥渓辞驳.” Krummholz entered English in the early 20th century.
how is krummholz used?
A few miles away bare scree-covered slopes protruded from the gnarled krummholz, marking the trail’s maximum height.
I should point out that nowhere are the wabi and sabi palettes of time acting on nature more visible than in the krummholz–the “elfin timber,” gnarled and twisted little trees at treeline that might be a thousand years old …
demonym
noun
the name used for the people who live in a particular country, state, or other locality: Two demonyms for the residents of Michigan are Michigander and Michiganian.
More about demonym
The noun demonym is clearly from Greek 诲锚尘辞蝉 鈥減eople, common people, common soldiery (as opposed to officers), popular government, democracy, district, country, land.鈥� The second part of the word comes from Greek dialect (Doric, Aeolic) 贸苍测尘补, a variant of 贸苍辞尘补 鈥渘ame鈥� (the Attic and Ionic dialectal form) and is very common in compounds like antonym and pseudonym. Demonym entered English in the late 20th century.
how is demonym used?
The word 鈥淗oosier,鈥� which today is the demonym used to describe people from the state of Indiana, is a mystery nearing its second century. It is one of the best-known irregular demonyms for American states, along with 鈥淵ankee,鈥� referring to someone from New York (and sometimes expanded from that into the entire Northeast), and 鈥淏uckeye,鈥� which refers to someone from Ohio.
Shafik turns his thoughts back to the archaic demonym, Shawam, singular Shami, which is what the native Egyptians called people from a certain part of the Fertile Crescent.
More about Minerva
The Roman goddess Minerva is so completely identified with the Greek goddess Athena that it is difficult to discern what is 鈥渘ative鈥� to Minerva. Minerva (earlier Latin spelling Menerva) was a native Italian goddess of handicrafts (hence easily identified with Athena in that respect). The name Minerva (Menerva) may be of Indo-European origin, from the root men- 鈥渢o think, bear in mind,鈥� source of English mind, Latin 尘别尘颈苍墨 鈥淚 remember,鈥� and Greek 惭茅苍迟艒谤, a proper name meaning 鈥渁dviser.鈥� The original Latin name will have been 惭别苍别蝉飞腻 鈥渋ntelligent, wise (woman),鈥� related to Sanskrit manasvin 鈥渨ise鈥� and 惭补苍补蝉惫颈苍墨, the name of the mother of the moon. Alternatively, 惭别苍别蝉飞腻 may mean 鈥渨oman who measures (the phases of the moon),鈥� from the Proto-Indo-European root 尘脓- 鈥渢o measure,鈥� source of English meal (a Germanic word), as in piecemeal, measure (from Latin), and Greek metron “measure,” the source of the English suffix -meter, among other words. Minerva as the name of the goddess entered English in the Old English period; the sense “wise woman” dates from the late 18th century.
how is Minerva used?
God, it seems like I’ll always have a Minerva by my side being a better person than I am.
The notion of such a Minerva as this, whom I saw in public places now and then, surrounded by swarms of needy abb茅s and schoolmasters, who flattered her, frightened me for some time, and I had not the least desire to make her acquaintance.