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The ordinary-sized words are for everyone, but the big ones are especially for children.



Friday 12 February 2021

Word To Use Today: pamplemousse.

 We can't travel anywhere much at the moment, but we can still catch a flavour of the world through its many thousands of languages.

So I here recommend the French word pamplemousse

Now, we all know what a mousse is - but few of us will know the word pample, and that's because it doesn't exist. A pamplemousse isn't a mousse, in any case.

A pamplemousse is a grapefruit (which is a fruit, but it is nothing at all like a grape (though it hangs in bunches a bit like grapes)).

photo by Lipsio

You say this word PARMp'lMOOSS. 

I guarantee that so calling it will make eating any grapefruit a quite gloriously sensual experience.

Well, it's worth a try, anyway.

Word To Use Today: pamplemousse. Some people say this word comes from the Dutch pompel, big, and limoes, lemon, but it probably comes from the Tamil  பம்பரமாசு, pamparamasu. The word started off meaning pomelo, and then came to be used for the grapefruit, Citrus paradisi - a name which interesting in itself (marketing?).  



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