Re: Regularized Inglish

John Cowan wrote:
>
> Christophe Grandsire scripsit:
>
> >         Really? So the French "fleur de soufre" would come from a direct
> > translation of English? Because in French, "fleur" (flower) and "farine"
> > (flour) have never been related to one another. And if so, I don't know
> > where the French expression would come from...
>
> Perhaps "fleur" once had the sense of "flour" as well as "flower";
> after all, the English word is a borrowing.
Flour comes from Middle English, borrowing from French, meaning
"flower,"
which it is more likely, as John suggests, to have doubled to mean
farine.
Or fine powder produced from grinding something.  Flower in English had
all sorts of semantic extensions.  King James:  her flowers were upon
her,
meaning she was "menstruating."  So anything is possible.

Sally

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SALLY CAVES
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