Spanish Word of the Day

Quote: Pacomartin

It's possible since the possession of a large number of bee hives would presume that the owner was wealthy. Honey was prized in Ancient Rome, and they imported it from all over Europe.

Makes sense. Though the Romans were not enamored of commerce or production, or rather not of merchants and farmers. I can't quite see a Roman patrician family either taking that kind of name, or being saddled with it. Still, who knows.

Quote:

A bee was even put on a coin at one time.

that's more interesting. Coinage was a popular way to disseminate propaganda (ergo the face of the current emperor on coins).

RE: Encaramar

Quote: Nareed

I've never encountered it before.

I just encountered it again, in a different book.

Fecha: 27-5-14
Palabra: Caperuza

Today's SWD means hood, as in the part of a garment you would put on your head. After having read two Harry Potter books you would think I would have encountered it before, but as far as I can recall, I haven't.

The assignment for the advanced readers is to compare and contrast capucha y caperuza.

Ejemplo time.

El verdugo vestió una caperuza. = The hangman wore a hood.

Quote: Wizard

The assignment for the advanced readers is to compare and contrast capucha y capuruza.

capucha = Pieza de una prenda de vestir que sirve para cubrir la cabeza y se puede echar a la espalda.
caperuza = Bonete que remata en punta inclinada hacia atrás.

From the DRAE definitions the first one sounds like a "hood" because it can be pulled back, and the second one sounds more like a cap you wear sideways on your head.

But googling images doesn't fit that definition. The second word seems to produce little red riding hood or sexy similes about 90% of the time. Her hood looks like it can be pulled back sometimes.



Los dementores aparecen en las novelas de Harry Potter de J. K. Rowling. Son seres con forma humana, sin piernas, que se desplazan volando y que ocultan su rostro bajo una capucha.

I think "capucha" would be more appropriate for a hangman's hood.

Quote: Pacomartin

I think "capucha" would be more appropriate for a hangman's hood.

Much more. See, the one and only way 99.9999999% of all Spanish speakers come across the word "caperuza" is in relation with "La Caperucita Roja," best known in English as "Little Red Riding Hood."

Oh, the word may get some other uses. For instance, there's a brand of cheese in Mexico called "Caperucita." But the logo is a sweet youg girl with a red riding hood.

Remmeber, too, in most languages shorter words tend to be preffered over longer ones.

Quote: Wizard

El verdugo vestió una caperuza. = The hangman wore a hood.

See above. The rest "El verdugo vIstió..."

Quote: Nareed

Much more. See, the one and only way 99.9999999% of all Spanish speakers come across the word "caperuza" is in relation with "La Caperucita Roja," best known in English as "Little Red Riding Hood."

Oh, the word may get some other uses. For instance, there's a brand of cheese in Mexico called "Caperucita." But the logo is a sweet youg girl with a red riding hood.

If I google the word I get hundreds of images based on Little Red Riding Hood, but sometimes I find "caperuza chimeneas" which is a vent, and other times these little hoods called "caperuzas holandesas" that go on top of hunting falcon.

Fecha: 28-5-14
Palabra: Desplomar

Today's SWD means to collapse.

The assignment for the advanced readers is to confirm or deny a common etymology with plomo (lead).

Perhaps lead is not very stable for construction and things build of lead tend to collapse.

La casa de cartas desplomó cuando Jan estordunó. = The house of cards collapsed when Jan sneezed.

Quote: Wizard

Perhaps lead is not very stable for construction and things build of lead tend to collapse.

Google "Roman lead." You may be surprised.

Quote:

La casa de cartas desplomó cuando Jan estordunó. = The house of cards collapsed when Jan sneezed.

"La casa de cartas SE desplomó cuando Jan estorNUdo," no accent mark on the "o."

Quote: Wizard

The assignment for the advanced readers is to confirm or deny a common etymology with plomo (lead).

They are certainly related.
In English the definition of plumb "lead hung on a string to show the vertical line" is from early 1300's. It is very reasonable to presume that the same definition would have been adopted in Spanish (cannot confirm with dictionary).

Nareed, what do you call one of these in Spanish?

In English the word "bob" was added to "plumb" in 1835 to refer to the builders tool. But the words "plumb" and "plum" existed for 5 centuries before that,


So "desplomar" would be "to lose the vertical" or collapse.