calzephyr: MLP Words (MLP Words)
[personal profile] calzephyr
Jerid - noun.

Also spelled jereed and jerreed, a jerid is a wooden javelin. The staff is a component of a horseback game of the same name popular during the time of the Ottoman empire. Players score points by throwing the javelin at an opponent.


Two men playing cirid.jpg
By anonymous Greek artist, ca. 1809 - https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O916907/two-men-playing-the-game-watercolour-anonymous-greek-artist/, Public Domain, Link


calzephyr: Scott Pilgrim generator (Default)
[personal profile] calzephyr
Janissary - noun.

A member of an elite fighting corp organized by the Ottoman empire. The janissaries were the first standing army in Europe, active from about 1363–1826 and known as fierce fighters devoted to the sultan.


Ataturk Janissary.jpg
Public Domain, Link


[identity profile] ersatz-read.livejournal.com
salep (săl′əp), noun
A starchy meal ground from the dried roots of some orchids (mainly from the genus Orchis).
Sometimes spelled 'sahlep', 'sahlab', or 'salaab'.

Etymology:  Turkish, from the orchid from which it is traditionally made.  Whose name supposedly comes from Arabic (ḫuṣā al)-ṯa'lab, (testicles of the) fox, due to the appearance of the tubers.

I learned of salep in the Taste of Persia cookbook I recently purchased.
According to multiple sites, it is illegal to export true salep, because of a decline in the populations of wild orchids.

saloop (sə-lo͞op′) noun
A hot drink made from salep (originally, and sassafras later) and other ingredients, and formerly used as a tonic.
This drink is sometimes called 'salep'...I think that might be the original term, with 'saloop' being a British variation.

Etymology:  an alteration of 'salep', dating from the 1700s.

According to Wikipedia, saloop was popular until it began to be purported as a remedy for venereal disease, and "drinking it in public became shameful".


med_cat: (Default)
[personal profile] med_cat
yataghan, noun yat·a·ghan \ˈya-tə-ˌgan, ˈya-ti-gən\

: a long knife or short saber that lacks a guard for the hand at the juncture of blade and hilt and that usually has a double curve to the edge and a nearly straight back

For an example, see this photo

Etymology:

Turkish yatağan


First Known Use: 1815
[identity profile] ersatz-read.livejournal.com
kurgan (ko͝or-gän′), noun
A type of burial mound, heaped over a burial chamber, and originating in southern Russia around 5000 B.C.

Kurgan
The culture that produced these burial mounds, or a member of this culture.


Etymology:  related to modern Turkish kurgan, which means 'fortress'.

Anyone who has watched the movie Highlander is probably familiar with this word (although I think the pronunciation was different).
[identity profile] theidolhands.livejournal.com
drupe [druːp]:
origin: (1745–55) Latin; drūpa, druppa= overripe olive

noun
Pronounced just like "droop", and something you've enjoyed many times probably without knowing it. Also known as "stone fruit", they are frequently categorized as fleshy fruit with a single pit in the middle and a thin (though taut) layer of skin. However, they can also be nuts or what you think of as berries (such as the coffee berry).

Technically, a coconut is also a drupe, its seed is at the tip of the endocarp (or what you think of as the husk).



---

o·da·lisque [ˈəʊdəlɪsk]:
origin: (1675–85) French, from Turkish odalIk= concubine, oda= room or chamber

noun
Speaking of fleshy fruit, an odalisque is a servant/slave girl to concubines in a harem, in actually though she ranks lower than they, and could only rise to the status of concubine if selected for sexual favors (if groomed due to beauty or possessing a talent such as singing). If she bore a son, she could even rise to the status of wife.

In popular vernacular it became synonymous with a mistress or a person inclined to be one. The term spreading through British authors and the "oriental" movement of fashion & home decorating, when fantasy art images were created featuring glorified chamber maids.

[identity profile] nerdfury.livejournal.com
It's still Sunday somewhere, right? Possibly, I dunno, Betelgeuse?

More Words With No English Equivalent (Until Someone Inevitably Comments To Provide One):

Cotisuelto (Caribbean Spanish) 
One who wears the shirt tail outside of his trousers, often in a negative light for a poor fashion trend.

Pana Po’o (Hawaiian) 
To scratch your head in order to help you remember something you’ve forgotten.

Gumusservi (Turkish) 
Moonlight shining on water.

Vybafnout (Czech) 
To jump out and say boo in order to scare someone.

Mencolek (Indonesian) 
To play a trick whereby you tap someone lightly on the opposite shoulder from behind to fool them.


[identity profile] nerdfury.livejournal.com
Evening, folks.


Once again, apologies for not posting for so long. My electricity got incorrectly cut off by the good folks at Origin Energy (pro-tip, fellow Aussies, they like to do that), and my PC died as a result. The rest of the time, well, let's just say I plain forgot.


Poor excuse, but I should nut up and admit something to you all: I have shit memory. No, really - I forget things really easily. Like, I'll step off of the bus outside of the store with a mind to buy milk, and in the time it takes me to cross the road, I've forgotten. Or I'll walk to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and forget what I was doing on the way. So let's just say that remembering to post a word every Sunday isn't as easy as all that. I put it down to too much television and Dungeons and Dragons.


But! I've got reminders set up between my Gmail, my iPhone and my Xoom tablet, so hopefully I can turn it around.


To make up for it, here's five awesome words, all of which have no English equivalent.





Mustaque Dirs Ur

(Albanian)


The Albanians apparently have twenty-seven different words to describe varieties of mustaches. This one is the downy, newly sprouted mustache of an adolescent.





Viande a pneus

(French)


Reckless cyclists in France have a nickname that translates as meat for tires.





Giomlaireachd

(Scottish Gaelic)


The habit of dropping in at meal times.





Osurgan

(Turkish)


Someone who farts excessively.





Ngabanmarneyawaoyhwarrgahganjginjeng

(Aboriginal Mayali)


This tribal tongue of Papua New Guinea often builds up complex compound words to express a simple concept. This spell-check nightmare translates as - I cooked the wrong meat for them again.






I don't have any etymologies or pronunciation for these, but if anyone does, feel free to let me know and I'll update. I do have a competition! The person that writes the best sentence incorporating all these words will win a two month paid subscription/extension, bonus userpics, or two months extra storage from me!


Post your entries in the comments below. Entries can be any length, but should be witty, poignant or humourous - and most of all should make sense. I'll give one week before announcing the winner, who can choose their prize on notification.



Good writing!
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