In 1507 a cartographer published a map and a new
feminine proper noun was born.
If he had chosen the
masculine form, what would the noun have been?
Etymology, Etymology, and more Etymology
as well as grammar, usage, euphemism, slang, jargon, semantics (meaning), linguistics, neologism, idiom, word origin, syntax, dialect, lexicon (vocabulary), diction, pidgin, synonym, antonym, homonym, cant, argot, lingo, and redundancy.
The critically-acclaimed board game
MooT
consists of tough questions about the nuances of the English language.
Answer:
Americus
America is named for Amerigo
Vespucci who made two trips to the New World as a ship's navigator
(the first one was in 1499).
In 1504 he published a
letter in which he claimed that Columbus had in fact discovered a new
continent.
Note that like Europeans of his era, Vespucci
used the Latin version of his first name (Americus) in formal
writing.
In 1507, the cartographer
Martin Waldseemueller published a map that
designated the new world as America, thereby coining the name.
He used the feminine form of Vespucci's name because the
names Europe and Asia were
feminine.
Please note that these are draft questions for the board game MooT.
If you spot an error or disagree with anything I've said here,
please let me know and I'll fix it.
(the Mootguy)
Feedback
This is the best one yet
x-col@lantic.net
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Finally, I understand why we're not
Vespuccians.
x-Anonymous
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