Okay. So now Andreas adds that indeed in California grass is 'golden brown'
10 months a year.
I've just checked with the OED, and for the record stay the facts of the
history of the English language. I'm not buying the English history, though!
----
green, from the Old English gréne, cognate with German grün), Danish grøn;
ultimately from the Old Teutonic reconstructed hypothetical form "grônjo-,"
itself from the Old Teutonic root, hypothetical, "grô-," whence GROW v. Cf.
GRASS.]
The first registered use in English that the OED gives is:
700 Epinal Gloss. 298
Carpassini, gresgro[e]ni.
but I'm not sure I know what a Carpassino is, nor how it would translate
_today_. Back then apparently the form would be, 'grassgreen', proving my
Tarskian point, sort of -- in the sense that phonetic similarity adds to
semantic
conceivability -- but cf. 'snow is white'.
For 'grass' the OED reads:
A common Teutonic word, from the Old English græs, and also gærs strong
neuter noun, cognate with German grass, Danish græs. Ultiamtely from the Old
<NOBR>Teutonic hypothetical grasom, from the Old Teutonic hypothetical root
gra-:
grô- (whence Middle High German gruose young plants; also GREEN a., GROW
v.). Ultiamtely from the ). Ultiam hypothetical form "hyp-", to grow, whence
L.
<Nmen grass.]
--- I'm glad the OED mentions the L gramen, which also gives the scientific
name 'graminiae' and the family name, graminidae.
Sadly, in Latin, 'gramen est verdis' is _not_ tautological.
In Spanish we do use 'gramilla', and wonder if the scientific name keeps the
gramen root, at the genus-species, rather than phylum.
If Ritchie and Ramos wish, they may consider whether
"Evergreens are green"
is tautological.
Or "Perennials never die", for that matter! :-)
Cheers,
JL
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