this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2025
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[–] [email protected] 82 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

You're just jealous that we can actually understand what our words mean instead of copying them wholesale from latin or french (which we also do, just not as much).

[–] [email protected] 39 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

agreed. plus everything can be funny if you just translate it word for word, even though in almost all languages the meaning for the original words barely cross people's minds when they use compound words.

eg:

German: Kamin

French: Cheminée

Spanish: Chimenea

English: FIREPLACE!

like fucking cavemen

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago

I counter:

French: briquet

Spanish: mechero

English: lighter

German: Feuerzeug => FIRE THING

Who's the caveman now?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

same origin, not the same meaning.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

But yeah, fireplace just sounds so much cooler...

Although... Why not... Fire shoe? Yeah, that's even better.

Fire shoe it is. I'll let Oxford know.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Also not the same thing, the fireplace is the part where the fire goes, the chimney is the part above it that makes it so you don’t die of smoke inhalation

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

'Fire shoe' encompasses both meanings satisfactorily.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I'll have you know that the history of 'gloves' in English goes back long before the Norman conquest; the roots in English are neither from French nor Latin.

What I really want to know is if shoes in German are called 'fußglof'?

If you say, 'yes', then I really will be jealous. I want a foot glove...

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago

Fußhandschuhe

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

No, they're called 'Läderlappen'.