alamã

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "alex" wrote:

> tolgs001 wrote:
>
>>> In Portuguese aera:men (aeramin-) gave "arame" (wire).
>>> In Spanish, alambre (cf. alambrado, also used in Portuguese)
>>
>> And in Romanian <arama> "copper" (also known as <cupru>).

The word has already been discussed, it was just to precise
the Latin suffix it was formed with [not being analyzable in
Romanian -> ending shifted from /e/ > /&/, regular feminine].

> the another word, "alamã" being considered as uncertian and
> one get the recomandation to see the word as the Italian "alama"
> (plate of metal).

The indication is actually: "to be confronted with Italian <lama>
`metal plate`". In fact, Italian word has several meanings, the one
to be compared with being archaic or letterary. Italian "lama" it's
seen by linguists as deriving from French "lame" (`cutting part of
a knife`, `thin metal plate`) which itself derives from Latin
"lamina(m)" (`thin sheet of metal`, `blade`).
Romanian word could be a late loanword or a compound "ad+lamina"
with slightly irregular reduction of the ending. Latin word meant
also `golden coin`, `gold` -- through color and metallic shape,
that could describe also brass.

> Alama is though not metal

You must be kidding. Alama (`brass`) is of course a metal.

> and not a plate but a ligature of cooper and zinc.

Certainly not "ligature", but "alloy" of copper & zinc.

Marius Iacomi