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noun
a forest of stunted trees near the timber line on a mountain.
The German noun Krummholz, literally âcrooked wood,â means âa forest of stunted trees near the timber line; elfinwood.â The German adjective krumm âbent, crooked, warped, stooping, deviousâ is related to British dialectal words crump âbent, crookedâ and crumpback (also crump-back) âhunchback.â The German noun Holz âwoodâ 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- âto cut, hit.â Keld- is the source of Greek klĂĄdos âtwig, branch, shootâ (and the English taxonomic term clade), and Slavic (Polish) kĆoda âlog.” Krummholz entered English in the early 20th century.
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 …
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.
The noun demonym is clearly from Greek dĂȘmos âpeople, common people, common soldiery (as opposed to officers), popular government, democracy, district, country, land.â The second part of the word comes from Greek dialect (Doric, Aeolic) Ăłnyma, a variant of Ăłnoma ânameâ (the Attic and Ionic dialectal form) and is very common in compounds like antonym and pseudonym. Demonym entered English in the late 20th century.
The word âHoosier,â 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 âYankee,â referring to someone from New York (and sometimes expanded from that into the entire Northeast), and âBuckeye,â 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.
a woman of great wisdom.
The Roman goddess Minerva is so completely identified with the Greek goddess Athena that it is difficult to discern what is ânativeâ 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- âto think, bear in mind,â source of English mind, Latin meminÄ« âI remember,â and Greek MĂ©ntĆr, a proper name meaning âadviser.â The original Latin name will have been MeneswÄ âintelligent, wise (woman),â related to Sanskrit manasvin âwiseâ and ManasvinÄ«, the name of the mother of the moon. Alternatively, MeneswÄ may mean âwoman who measures (the phases of the moon),â from the Proto-Indo-European root mÄ- âto measure,â 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.
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 abbés and schoolmasters, who flattered her, frightened me for some time, and I had not the least desire to make her acquaintance.