Editor's Corner

It’s almost summer, people!

I knew it was going to be an exciting season when I looked out the window the other day and saw three hummingbirds, a woodpecker, and a giant tortoise! At first, I thought the tortoise was Franklin, from down the street, but Franklin is bigger.

I later found out that our visitor is named Ulysses, and he’s looking for love in all the wrong places, as he goes through puberty. I also quickly read up on what they like to eat, and gave him some dandelion greens, carrots, kale, and a piece of chocolate. No! I’m kidding about that, but he chowed down on the salad makings and I led him back to his house after all the neighbors came to see him.

This has nothing to do with words, definitions, lessons, or grammar, though. But looking at the photo of the “mother-in-law” plant he knocked over and trampled, I am reminded of some plants that say “summer” to me. Here are a few of them and their etymologies for you! (Thanks to Merriam-Webster, though the flower photos are from searching the internet.)

Tulip

The name of the cup-shaped tulip comes from the Turkish word tülbent which means "turban." The flower got its name from the resemblance of its overlapping petals to the folds of fabric in a turban, a headdress worn chiefly in countries of the eastern Mediterranean and southern Asia.

Hydrangea

The hydrangea, a popular flowering shrub, gets its name not from the shape of its flowers or leaves, but from the shape of its seed pods: from Greek hydr- meaning "water" and angeîon meaning "vessel, container," the name refers to the cup-like capsules that hold its seeds.

Dandelion

Though widely considered a pesky weed, the name dandelion has a majestic meaning: it comes from Anglo-French dent de lion which literally means "lion’s tooth" because of its sharply indented leaves. [KC – I happen to know a tortoise who would be glad to help you if you have any problems with these weeds!]

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

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