A catalogue of new words I learn in Greek and English. This is the public blog of Joanna Eleftheriou (Ιωάννα Ελευθερίου). I welcome comments that help refine my understanding of these words' nuances and usage. Thanks!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
kourkouti vs. kourkoutas
Somebody explain to me why the Cypriot endemic lizard Laudakia stellio cypriaca is called a kourkoutAs, only one letter away from the Greek word for batter (for frying), kourkOUti.
Oh, one of the promises (premises?) of my blog, one that I keep forgetting, is to note the context in which I learn each word. I learned kourkoutas a long time ago just from living in Cyprus--my father poitned out the difference between a kourkoutas and a regular lizard. On the other hand, I learned kourkouti backwards, when Christopher Bakken asked me how to say batter and I didn't know--for an entire year--until I asked Erika Voelzer and she gave me two words, kourkouti and chylos.
Oh, one of the promises (premises?) of my blog, one that I keep forgetting, is to note the context in which I learn each word. I learned kourkoutas a long time ago just from living in Cyprus--my father poitned out the difference between a kourkoutas and a regular lizard. On the other hand, I learned kourkouti backwards, when Christopher Bakken asked me how to say batter and I didn't know--for an entire year--until I asked Erika Voelzer and she gave me two words, kourkouti and chylos.
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