New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FAUBOURG

pronunciation: [FOH-boorg]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, 15th century

 

Meaning:

1. (Usually in place names) A suburb, especially one in Paris.

 

Examples:

"The faubourgs of Paris were absorbed into the metropolis after the city walls expanded outward."

"Much like Paris, Montreal contains many faubourgs that used to be considered distant suburbs, until the city grew to encompass them."

About Faubourg

“Faubourg” is a loanword from French. It was formed in Old French by combining “fors,” meaning “outside,” with “bourg,” meaning “town.”

 

Did you Know?

“Faubourg” is much older than the English word “suburb,” but the ideas are similar. With the Latin roots “forīs,” meaning “out of,” and “burgum,” meaning “town” or “fortress,” “faubourg” traditionally referred to a community or neighborhood located outside the gate or walls of a fortified city. The rise of the term “faubourg” occurred in Paris during the 16th century, at a time when that city was fortified by a wall. The original Parisian faubourgs were architecturally distinct urban areas that bore little resemblance to modern European and North American suburbs. After the demolition of the Parisian city wall in 1701, and the expansion of city borders in 1860, most Parisian faubourgs became a part of the city proper, and today, “faubourg” is a term to describe a longtime residential neighborhood.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ORNITHOPTER

pronunciation: [awr-nə-THOP-tər]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: French, 20th century

 

Meaning:

1. A machine designed to achieve flight by means of flapping wings.

 

Examples:

"The historian assured me that several models of ornithopters were flown short distances in the 19th century."

"The flight museum had a display of pre-Wright brothers flying machines, including an actual French ornithopter."

About Ornithopter

“Ornithopter” is based on the French “ornithoptère.” That word was coined by joining the ancient Greek “ὄρνιθ-“ (“órnith-,” meaning “bird”) and “πτερόν” (“pterón,” meaning “wing”).

 

Did you Know?

Today, flight powered by the gliding wings of airplanes or the propellers of helicopters is a reality, but in years past, many people believed the best way to take to the sky would be to mimic a bird. Formed out of the Greek words for “bird” and “wing,” “ornithopter” referred to a type of flying machine that takes flight by flapping wings. The first workable ornithopters were developed in 19th-century France, with a gunpowder-powered model successfully flying 80 meters. Though long eclipsed by airplanes, ornithopters continue to draw fans, many of whom fly radio-controlled ornithopters. These hobby ornithopters strike a markedly antique profile in the sky in contrast to modern drones.