Definition

Kermis: Definition

BY Author Susan Agliata | Posted on | FILED UNDER Categories Definition, Information, Kermis

Kermis (n.):

  1. Country fair: in former times, an annual country fair held in the Netherlands and northern Germany.
  2. Fundraising festival: a festival or fair held to collect money for charity.

Origin: Late 16th century. < Dutch, "mass on the anniversary of the church's dedication" < kerk “church” + misse “mass” >.

Selected New York City Street Fairs:

06.20.07 – 06.24.07: St. Antonio Abate Society of Castrofilippo
Location: Ditmars Boulevard (between 35th & 38th Street), Astoria, Queens

06.23.07: Coney Island Mermaid Parade
Location: West 10th Street (at the Boardwalk)

08.16.07 – 08.19.07: Borgetto Cultural Association
Location: Steinway Street (between 25th & 28th Avenue), Astoria, Queens

Selected Resources:

NYC Parades + Annual Events: http://www.carnaval.com/cityguides/newyork/parades.htm

Central Astoria Local Development Coalition: http://centralastoria.org/news.htm

Lapidary: Definition

BY Author Susan Agliata | Posted on | FILED UNDER Categories Definition, Lapidary

Lapidary (n.)

  1. One who cuts, polishes, or engraves gems.
  2. A dealer in precious or semiprecious stones.

[Middle English lapidarie, from Old French lapidaire, from Latin lapidarius, from lapis, lapid-, stone.]

A lapidary (the word means “concerned with stones”) is an artisan who practices the craft of working, forming and finishing stone, mineral, gemstones, and other suitably durable materials (amber, shell, jet, pearl, copla, coral, horn and bone, glass and other synthetics) into functional and/or decorative, even wearable, items (e.g. cameos, cabochons, and more complex facetted designs). The adjectival term is also extended to refer to such arts.

Diamond cutters are generally not referred to as lapidaries, due to their highly specialized techniques which are required to work diamond successfully.

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* Defintion from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Inquiline: Definition

BY Author Susan Agliata | Posted on | FILED UNDER Categories Definition, Inquiline

Inquiline:

(n.) An animal that characteristically lives commensally in the nest, burrow, or dwelling place of an animal of another species.

(adj.) Being or living as an inquiline.

[Latin inquilnus, lodger, tenant : in-, in; see in-2 + colere, to inhabit; see kwel-1 in Indo-European roots.]

Inquiline:

In zoology, an inquiline is an animal that lives commensally in the nest, burrow, or dwelling place of an animal of another species. For example, some organisms such as insects may live in the homes of gophers and feed on debris, fungi, roots, etc. The most ubiquitous types of inquiline are those found in association with the nests of social insects, especially ants and termites — a single colony may support dozens of different inquiline species. The distinctions between parasites, social parasites, and inquilines are subtle, and many species may fulfill the criteria for more than one of these, for inquilines do exhibit many of the same characteristics of parasites.

Foudroyant: Defintion

BY Author Susan Agliata | Posted on | FILED UNDER Categories Definition, Foudroyant

Foudroyant (adj.):

  1. Dazzling or stunning in effect.
  2. Medicine Occurring suddenly and severely. Used of a disease.

[French, from present participle of foudroyer, to strike with lightning, from foudre, lightning, from Old French fouldre, from Latin fulgur, from fulgre, to flash; see bhel-1 in Indo-European roots.]

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