courgette

[prettygoodword]

If I were British, I'd define this word something like this:


courgette (koor-ZHET) - n., the immature fruit of a vegetable marrow, called zucchini in North America.


However, I am North American, so I define it like this:


courgette (koor-ZHET) - n., (Brit.) zucchini, a green summer squash.


Zucchini being the name used in North America and Australia, courgette in the UK, New Zealand, and the rest of the Anglosphere. The US/UK distinction of squash/marrow is also of note. Borrowed around 1931 from French, of course, from the diminutive of courge, gourd, from Latin cucurbita, gourd, cup. Zucchini, meanwhile, was borrowed around 1929 from Italian, and is also a diminutive, of zucca, gourd, squash, of uncertain origin but possibly from the same Latin root.

---L.

Comments

[benicek.livejournal.com]

Zucchini? Haha. You North Americans do have some funny names for things. I believe the swede is also controversial. The vegetable swede, I mean.

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

There are regional differences even within North America about what to call a swede/turnip/yellow turnip/rutabaga/kolrabi, and which thing to call what, let alone elsewhere in the Anglosphere. It's all very confusing. Here's the Wikipedia summary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga#Etymology), which -- hmph! -- used to be a helpful chart.

---L.

[benicek.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I had forgotten 'neeps' which I have heard used here.

[al-rants.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Is this going to be a theme week? 'Things that have different names depending on where you are?' I hope so, that would be awesome. Especially for me, an American living in England!

[benicek.livejournal.com]

The American writer Bill Bryson said that he knew he was at home in England when he'd lived here long enough to be able to walk past 'frozen faggots' in the supermarket without flinching.

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

I ... don't think I have enough on my TBP list to fill out the rest of a week -- I'll have to do some research and come back to that later. 'Tis an excellent idea.

*jots down reminder*

---L.