Hello Daniel,
Thursday, November 27, 2003, 8:53:02 PM, you wrote:
DJM> --- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Joao S. Lopes" <josimo70@...>
DJM> wrote:
>> Is there any PIE name for the Rainbow?
>>
>> Joao SL
DJM> *********
DJM> I don't know, but I doubt it. From "The Rainbow, from Myth to
DJM> Mathematics (C. B. Boyer), it seems that worldwide the rainbow has
DJM> many fanciful names matching explanatory myths. The
DJM> English "rainbow" seems one of the most straightforward names.
DJM> What comes to mind for a possible I.E. word is Greek 'iris' .
DJM> Does it have cognates in any other language?
Yes, in some Romance languages, possibly taken from Greek:
Portuguese: arco-íris
Spanish: arco iris
Italian: arcobaleno, iride
Catalan: arc de sant martí, arc d'iris
but not in others:
French: arc-en-ciel
Romanian: curcubeu (probably unknown origin)
see:
http://wiktionary.org/wiki/Rainbow
--
Best regards,
Bogdan mailto:
disclist@...