Spanish Word of the Day

Fecha: 3-8-14
Palabra: Vertiginoso

Today's SWD means dizzy, giddy, vertiginous.

Pause, again. Just what does vertiginous mean in English, I'm sure you're wondering. According to dictionary.com, it means:

1.whirling; spinning; rotary: vertiginous currents of air.
2.affected with vertigo; dizzy.
3.liable or threatening to cause vertigo: a vertiginous climb.
4.apt to change quickly; unstable: a vertiginous economy.

Ejemplo time.

Sentí Vertiginoso en la cima de la noria. = I felt vertiginous on top of the Ferris wheel.

Quote: Pacomartin

In spanish the word "duelo" means either "duel" or "sorrow". Maybe Nareed can comment which definition comes to mind primarily.

Duel. I know it also means "mourning," but no one ever uses it that way. You find it in odd places used by people showing off their erudition.

Quote: Nareed

You find it in odd places used by people showing off their erudition.

It was used in English in the 19th century, but often spelled deuil. It was primarily considered a French word, even though the French don't spell it that way.

Quote: Wizard

Fecha: 3-8-14
Palabra: Vertiginoso
Today's SWD means dizzy, giddy, vertiginous.

I think the adjective "mareado" is far more frequently than the adjective "vertiginoso".

image mareado

Quote: Pacomartin

Most films have subtitles, they really only dub the children's movies.

I f****wish!

Until 20 years or so ago, yes, only children's films were dubbed. The law did not allow dubbing of other films. Now many films get dubbed. Especially the most popular movies, like Star Wars.

They do show subtitled versions as well, but it's made going to the movies more difficult (one reason I no longer bother going to the movies).

Quote:

Nareed, living in Mexico City would have no reason to see a dubbed movie.

Except for young children, no one has a reason for seeing a dubbed movie. Not a rational reason anyway.

¡Feliz día de picnic todos!

Fecha: 4-8-14
Palabra: Balompíe

Today's SWD means soccer.

I bet you can guess the assignment for the advanced readers -- compare and contrast fútbol y balompíe.

Ejemplo time.

Celebré dia de picnic jugando balompíe. = I celebrated picnic day by playing soccer.

Quote: Wizard

I bet you can guess the assignment for the advanced readers -- compare and contrast fútbol y balompíe.

U.S. football : The earliest recorded application of the word football to the American game is from 1881.

soccer (n.) 1889, socca, later socker (1891), soccer (1895), originally university slang , from a shortened form of Assoc., abbreviation of association in Football Association (as opposed to Rugby football).

El periódico El Imparcial publicó, en su portada del 1 de agosto de 1908, el artículo firmado por Mariano de Cavia titulado El Balompié, en el que daba su opinión sobre el anglicismo football. Reproduzco lo más interesante de dicho artículo a continuación: "Varios jóvenes amables se proponen organizar una nueva sociedad de "football"; desean darle un nombre español y no acertando con él, me hacen la merced de apelar a mis cortas luces, porque ellos tiene por intraducible el vocablo inglés como se denomina a este deporte".

So the word "balompíe" which came from balón + píe was invented in Spain, and seems to be more common there rather than in LatAm.


A calque (n.) is a "loan translation of a foreign word or phrase," from French calque, literally "a copy," from calquer "to trace by rubbing" (itself borrowed in English 1660s as calk), introduced 16c. from Italian calcare.

English watershed from German Wasser-scheide.
Spanish balompíe from English football
English Mountbatten from German Battenberg in 1917 (Mountbatten deemed more lofty than Battenhill)

Quote: Pacomartin

So the word "balompíe" which came from balón + píe was invented in Spain, and seems to be more common there rather than in LatAm.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I found the word in the Spanish edition of People magazine, which obviously caters to readers in the US. Many of the celebrities in it are Mexican-American. In this case it was an article about Gabriel Luna.

Quote: Pacomartin

soccer (n.) 1889, socca, later socker (1891), soccer (1895), originally university slang , from a shortened form of Assoc., abbreviation of association in Football Association (as opposed to Rugby football).

It's called sucker.

Fecha: 5-8-14
Palabra: Tez

Today's SWD would make for a good Scrabble word. It means complexion.

The assignment for the advanced readers is to find and discuss the etymology of the word. I suspect it originally comes from another language.

Ejemplo time.

Marcia esta preocupada de su tez. = Marcia is worried about her complexion.