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Theme week! Words that sound like they're dirty but actually aren't. So get your snicker-box ready for:
assart (uh-SART) - v., to clear forested land for agriculture. n., a field so cleared.
No asses involved, unless you use them for pulling up stumps or hauling lumber, but there were better animals for that -- and these days, better tractors. From Middle French essart, from Old French, from Late Latin exartum, from Vulgar Latin exsartum,* neuter past participle of exsarire, to weed out, from Latin ex- out, + sarire, to hoe/weed. The image of hoeing out a tree is amusing, I have to admit.
---L.
assart (uh-SART) - v., to clear forested land for agriculture. n., a field so cleared.
No asses involved, unless you use them for pulling up stumps or hauling lumber, but there were better animals for that -- and these days, better tractors. From Middle French essart, from Old French, from Late Latin exartum, from Vulgar Latin exsartum,* neuter past participle of exsarire, to weed out, from Latin ex- out, + sarire, to hoe/weed. The image of hoeing out a tree is amusing, I have to admit.
---L.
