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Spanish Word of the Day
| November 20th, 2013 at 10:04:13 PM permalink | |
| Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 | Fecha: 21-11-13 Palabra: Afanar Today's SWD means to toil/labor. The assignment for the advanced readers is to confirm or deny a common etymology with the prefix "fan" in the word fanatic. Perhaps a fanatic toils in service to whatever he is a fanatic about. Ejemplo time. El profesor afanaba todo el día ayer para arreglar la radio. = The professor toiled all day yesterday to fix the radio. p.s. Why isn't it EL radio? Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |
| November 21st, 2013 at 4:32:22 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
The English word comes from Latin fanaticus which means divinely inspired, enthusiastic, frantic, or frenzied. The abbreviation "fan" was applied in late 19th century to followers of baseball. It seems to be a combination of fanatic and fancy . The word "fancy" meant "devotees of an amusement or sport, collectively" is attested by 1735, especially (though not originally) of the prize ring. Presumably the Latin word has some descendant in Spanish, but I don't know what it would be. Despite the similarity in spelling "afanar" comes from an Arabic word during the occupation of Spain and is not a cognate of "fanatic". ------- There are words whose meaning vary depending on the gender. "La radio" means "the radio," while "el radio" means "the radius". Sometimes "la radio" is used to refer to the communications medium and "el radio" for a radio set. ------- The figure of 60 guilders comes from a letter written in November 1626. In 1846, a New York historian converted the figure of 60 guilders to US$24 from which the oft repeated sum comes from. Like the "flat earth" story about Christopher Columbus written about the same time, it has remained part of American legend. The value of $24 in 1846 is probably worth over $1000 today. There is a story that Peter Minuit incorrectly was negotiating with the Canarsee Indians of Long Island which gives the Indians their part in the great swindle. Yes, the Indians who were negotiating with Peter Minuit probably had no idea about the European concepts of property rights. At the time, most historians assume that the Indians viewed the items given as gifts for a "treaty" which included a military alliance, There was no ill feelings by either side at the time. The Hawaiian land ownership was considered a complete land grab from the moment it happened. |
| November 21st, 2013 at 6:54:54 AM permalink | |
| Nareed Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 346 Posts: 12545 |
In Mexico it's EL radiO. Afanar is not a comon word at all. It's not even used by reporters or others with pretensions. Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER |
| November 21st, 2013 at 7:52:37 PM permalink | |
| Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 | Fecha: 15-11-13 Palabra: Recadero Today's SWD means messenger. The assignment for the advanced readers is to explain what the prefix rec means. Ejemplo time. No me echa la culpa. Soy solo el recadero. = Don't blame me. I'm only the messenger. Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |
| November 22nd, 2013 at 7:42:42 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
There is a verb form recadar but it may be archaic. Nareed will have to answer. From recadar, from the hypothetical Latin recapitāre ultimately from Latin word caput or "head". The word "head" implies leader, chief, capital city, origin, control center, etc. So the message is from someone of importance. The prefix is re- not "rec-". |
| November 22nd, 2013 at 1:13:20 PM permalink | |
| Nareed Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 346 Posts: 12545 |
No me echE, or no me echES... I've never come across this word before. Recado does mean a meesage left by one person to another through a third-party. Like phone messages, for example. Not just any kind of message. For example, not a text message by cell phone. Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER |
| November 22nd, 2013 at 10:26:02 PM permalink | |
| Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 | Fecha: 23-11-13 Palabra: Interlocutor Today's SWD means a speaker or conversationalist. Interlocutor in English also means the same thing, I just found out, but I've never heard the word used in English before. Ejemplo time. El interlocutor de almuerzo estaba muy aburido. = The lunch speaker was very boring. Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |
| November 23rd, 2013 at 2:53:49 AM permalink | |
| Pacomartin Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 1068 Posts: 12569 |
This definition appears in the DRAE, recadero/ra = Persona que tiene por oficio llevar recados de un punto a otro. But I had my suspicions about how common the word was in ordinary speech when it wasn't in Wiktionary.   This word is fairly highbrow in English. It looks like it may be more middlebrow in Spanish. |
| November 23rd, 2013 at 4:33:41 AM permalink | |
| Nareed Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 346 Posts: 12545 |
"..deL almuerzo." Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER |
| November 25th, 2013 at 4:49:32 AM permalink | |
| Wizard Administrator Member since: Oct 23, 2012 Threads: 239 Posts: 6095 | Fecha: 25-11-13 Palabra: Combar Today's SWD mean to bend/curl. The assignment for the advanced readers is to confirm or deny a common etymology with the English word comb, which is for the purpose of to make hair straight. Ejemplo time. ¿Como se comba Ginger el cabello? = How does Ginger curl her hair? Before I get corrected, let me remind you that every Spanish book I have ever seen says that body parts are never possessive in Spanish. Knowledge is Good -- Emil Faber |