Spanish Word of the Day

Quote: Pacomartin

Lisonjear is from the Provençal dialect.

Well Nareed broke her trend. Normally, she does not prefer words from smaller languages. I assume that adulación is a more common word in Mexico.

In English adulation by the dictionary says insincere praise. Perhaps I am showing ignorance of English, but I just associated the word with "praise" that could be sincere or insincere. I thought it was a synonym of "adoration".

The word "flattery" clearly implies insincerity. The word comes from "flat" as in the palm of your hand, and implies that you are stroking the person.

Quote: Pacomartin

Lisonjear is from the Provençal dialect.

The Provence region in France was, like most of Europe, a Roman province. But a particular one. It was one of the first territories conquered by Rome outside Italy. The name means, or originally it was Latin for, "Our Province."

BTW, the French like to think of the Gauls as their ancestors. A valid, but archaic name for France, in fact, is Gallia, and here and there I think the name is used. But the fact is most Gauls were run out of France by successive waves of "barbarian" invaders, culminating with the very Germanic Franks, whose name derived to "France." I think in german France is called Frankreich.

Quote: Nareed

But the fact is most Gauls were run out of France by successive waves of "barbarian" invaders, ...

It is surprisingly common to name a place in accordance with the language of the conquered people, and not the conquering tribe. Look at Mexico, Connecticut, California, etc.

It is also popular to romanticize the conquered people once they pose no military threat. The North American indigenous people were pretty much conquered by 1890. It was within 20-30 years later, that romantic books about the Indian way of life began to be published.

Quote: Pacomartin

It is surprisingly common to name a place in accordance with the language of the conquered people, and not the conquering tribe. Look at Mexico, Connecticut, California, etc.

I think it's just as common to import a name. Look at New York, New Jersey, Leon, Guadalajara, etc. And of course there's the tradition of naming places after a founder (Pennsylvania) or a patron (the Carolinas), or even a national hero (Morelos, Hidalgo, Washington).

BTW, according to a high school geography teacher, the name California is derived from the Spaniards misspronunciation of Latin for "hot place," or "hot land." This particular teacher liked to make stuff up, but this time he may ahve had a point. A Spanish word for "hot" is "cálido," derived from "calor." So, who knows.

Quote:

It is also popular to romanticize the conquered people once they pose no military threat. The North American indigenous people were pretty much conquered by 1890. It was within 20-30 years later, that romantic books about the Indian way of life began to be published.

Oh, yes. There's a popular comic strip spawning book sereis in France called Asterix, which features the adventures of a Gaul named Asterix and his friends. These books enjoyed a mild oppularity in Mexico in the late 70s: I remember reading a few (these were "graphic novels," not prose), but not what they were about. There was a movie made some years ago based on the characters. I think Laetitia Casta was in it (no, I didn't see it).

Fecha: 12-12-13
Palabra: cosquillar

Today's SWD means to tickle. A related word is cosquilleo, which means a tickling sensation.

Ejemplo time.

Me gusta a cosquillarle a Ginger. = I like to tickle Ginger.

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In Spanish news, I'm in the Los Angeles area again and every other municipality seems to have a Spanish name. I got to thinking that I've been to some of them hundreds of times and never thought to think about what they meant. Including Los Alamitos, where I went to Junior and Senior High School. Here is a list of some city names in the LA area and my best translation of what they mean.

Los Alamitos = Little Poplar Trees
Altadena = High ?
Cerritos = Little Hills
Chino = Chinese
La Cienega = The ?
Costa Mesa = Coast Table
La Covina = The ?
La Habra = The ?
La Mirada = The Look
El Monte = The Mountain
Montebello = Beautiful Mountain
Monterey = King's Mountain (?)
Palos Verdes = Green Sticks
Pico Rivera = Brook Peak
La Puente = The Bridge
El Segundo = The second
Yorba Linda = Nice ?

Quote: Wizard

Altadena = High ?

I think that's English, or English mispronunciation of Spanish

Quote:

La Cienega = The ?

The swamp. if you call a place that, you're not looking to sell land there.

Quote:

Costa Mesa = Coast Table

Sort of. Mesa in this case probably means a flat-topped mountain or hill.

Quote:

Monterey = King's Mountain (?)

I'm split between that and a king of mountains.

Quote: Nareed

The swamp. if you call a place that, you're not looking to sell land there.

Interesting. To best honest, I'm not sure exactly where La Cienega is, but La Cienega Boulevard is a major north/south street, cutting through Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, among other pricey areas.

Here's an excercise:

What do you call someone who hails from Monterrey? Don't jump, look it up. Hint, the answer is not "Monterreyeno"

Quote: Wizard

Interesting. To best honest, I'm not sure exactly where La Cienega is, but La Cienega Boulevard is a major north/south street, cutting through Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, among other pricey areas.

On 24 August 1821, representatives of the Spanish crown and Iturbide signed the Treaty of Córdoba, which recognized Mexican independence. Rancho Las Cienegas was a 4,439-acre Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1823 to Francisco Avila, then mayor of Los Angeles. "La Cienega" is derived from the Spanish word cienaga, which means swamp or marshland and refers to the natural springs and wetlands in the area between the Baldwin Hills range and Baldwin Hills district, and Beverly Hills. The rancho was north of Rancho La Cienega o Paso de la Tijera and east of present day La Cienega Boulevard between Wilshire Boulevard and Jefferson Boulevard. The Los Angeles River would periodically change course historically, and flowed through the rancho's lowlands to Ballona Creek and the Santa Monica Bay until 1825, when it returned to the flowing through Rancho San Pedro to San Pedro Bay.-Wikipedia

After 1825 the Ballona Creek Watershed became distinct from Los Angeles River

Quote: Nareed

What do you call someone who hails from Monterrey? Don't jump, look it up.

I would never have guessed that in a million years.

Quote: Nareed

What do you call someone who hails from Monterrey?

I just don't know and am afraid to guess.

Fecha: 13-12-13
Palabra: Ducho

Today's SWD means skillful.

The question for the advanced readers is to confirm or deny a common etymology with ducha (shower).

Ejemplo time.

El profesor esta muy ducho a arreglar las cosas. = The professor is very good at fixing things.