1620: Convergent Evolutions: Corona and Kalilah May 22, 2019

Although it is not always possible to translate the extra connotations a word carries in one language into another, sometimes they developed similarly enough that it isn't a problem. The Latin word 'corona', for instance, meant 'garland', but that then gained other connotations of anything arranged in a circle, including metal crowns (a word also derived from 'corona'). However, it also denoted an assembly of people, usually related to academics. In Aramaic too, the word 'כלילא' ('kalilah') refers to a garland of flowers, and an assembly of teachers. This happens sometimes by accident when there is a natural or in this case a cultural connection between the two ideas is strong; Aramaic and Latin are not related.
Support Word Facts on patreon.com/wordfacts
Previous
Previous

1621: jerk May 23, 2019

Next
Next

1619: lampoon May 21, 2019