birding-aus

Re: Kooragang Island

To: David Geering <>
Subject: Re: Kooragang Island
From: John Clifton-Everest <>
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 23:46:37 +1100
Not a Latin buff, nor a botanist, but at least a linguist.
I suspect the stuff is called Juncus acutus, of which 'Spiny rush' is an
acceptable translation. 'Actutus' doesn't exist in classical Latin as an
adjective, (it has to end in -us, since juncus is masculine!) though
there is an adverb 'actutum', meaning 'promptly' or 'precipitately'.
This would be an odd word to choose even if the name referred to the
plant's being swift-growing.  Is it particularly swift, as rushes go?
John Clifton-Everest


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU