What is a "glassary"?

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TomBo T
TomBo Jul 23, 2004 07:34:36
Replying to Bria

Same root as "glasgow", which I've heard translated as both "dear green place" and "blue-green hollows". Possibly where "glastonbury" is coming from too?

"glas: a lock, Irish, Old Irish glas: *glapsâ; English clasp.
glas: grey, Irish glas, green, pale, Early Irish glass, Welsh, Old Welsh, Breton glas, green: *glasto-, green; German glast, sheen (Bez.), root glas, to which German glass, English glass, are probably allied."
- MacBain's Etymological Irish Gaelic Dictionary

"glas: nf. g. glaise; d. glais; pl.+an, lock, fetter : glas-làmh, handcuff
glas: grey"
- MacFarlane's Scottish Gaelic Dictionary

"glass: green (of nature), verdant, soft, pale, pasty, ashen (colour), grey (of animal), raw, unfledged, sappy, callow (of youth); trigger, bond, iron; lock, stream"
- Kelly's Manx Dictionary

T TomBo
TomBo Jul 23, 2004 07:52:24
Replying to TomBo

Manx does that all the time: one word, five million meanings.

M moss
moss Jul 23, 2004 14:22:23
Replying to TomBo

Glastonbury; It was probably called this name because the dye plant woad was grown around there, the acidic peat was ideal for growing this plant. When used as a dye it turns green in the dye pot but when exposed to the air it oxidises and turns blue, which fits nicely in with blue/green.
To quote; Pliny records a plaintain-like plant called glastum, with which the wives and daughters of the Britons smeared themselves...