fidelcastro
-----Original Message-----
From: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to poetry and
poetics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Anny Ballardini
Sent: 08 February 2006 21:33
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: etymological query
poetastro
riccastro
giovinastro
maritastro
cretinastro
stupidastro
and I am sure there are plenty more, but at this point I do not know if the
above are all right or if I am just inventing,
----- Original Message -----
From: "Halvard Johnson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 9:19 PM
Subject: Re: etymological query
> Also, e.g., "I aster a question that she refused to answer." (dial.)
>
> Hal
>
> On Feb 7, 2006, at 6:54 AM, Michael Peverett wrote:
>
>> for -aster/-astro etc see
>>
>> http://www.languagehat.com/archives/000869.php
>>
>> (a great site, btw)
>>
>> -astro is often pejorative (meaning sham)
>>
>> medicastro = a quack
>> politicastro = a so-called politician
>>
>> but it can neutrally express near but incomplete resemblance, as in
>> step-
>> relation.
>>
>> - it turns up quite often in botanical names, eg.
>>
>> "pinaster" - like a pine
>> "siliquastrum" - like a pod
>>
>> Michael
>>
>> http://michaelpeverett.blogspot.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> In Spanish -astro is often pejorative but not necessarily (as in the
>> step-
>> child case).
>>
>> More or less as in Italian (according to Google):
>>
>> In italian astro means a sham form of something else:
>> medico + astro = medicastro = quack doctor
>> poeta + astro = poetastro = poetaster
>>
>> in spanish I've seen "politicastro" meaning - dismissively - , a
>> useless,
>> feeble would-be politician.
>
> "I don't necessarily agree with everything I say."
> --Marshall McLuhan
>
> Halvard Johnson
> ================
> [log in to unmask]
> http://home.earthlink.net/~halvard
> http://entropyandme.blogspot.com
> http://imageswithoutwords.blogspot.com
> http://www.hamiltonstone.org
>
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