[Sca-cooks] New compost recipe (long)

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Gorgeous Muiredach wrote:

>
>> com-POST, n., [OFr. composte, compote, condiment, pickle < L.
>> compositus; see COMPOSITE], 1. a composition; compound. 2. a mixture of
>> decomposing vegetable refuse, manure, etc., for fertilizing the soil.
>>
>> com-POTE, n., [F., see COMPOST]
>>
>> It's probably worth noting that the first version, spoken in French,
>> would end up with either a silent or absent "s", as in hospital/hopital,
>> hostel/hotel, etc.
>
>
> Well, mylord, here I beg to differ.  French being my first language, I can
> guarantee you that the S in compost is indeed pronounced and changes the
> meaning.  Also, compote carries a silent e.  This e while not pronounced
> changes the way you pronounce the word.  Hard to describe in words, perhaps
> I'll post a little wav on my site.


Fair enough; this is not my field.


> I just looked in "Larousse de la langue francaise, LEXIS", the 1985
> edition.  Note the quick translation is from me...  It says:
>
> Compost:  [English word, from ancient french Compost, from the latin
> compositus].  Mixture of dirt, organic garbage and lie, which transform
> itself little by little into dirt.
>
> Compote:  [from Latin composita, from componere, to put together]  Fruits,
> whole or cut in parts, cooked with sugar.
>
>> They are pretty obviously the same word. The fact that American
>> gardeners are unaware of the etymology really changes nothing.
>
>
> Here again, I must argue :-)  They are NOT the same word.  They have the
> same *origin*, but usage has changed them.  *today*, compost and compote
> are two different things.  The word's origin, as you rightly point out, is
> the same.  But the meaning has veered off quite a bit

>
> Of course, I'm just a cook, not a linguist, soooo, I may just be full of
> compost to be ;-)

Well, the first question that comes to my mind is, is a French
dictionary more or less reliable than an English one when the subject is
a word the French dictionary claims is an English word?

As for the changed meaning, yes. One is, primarily and generically, a
mixture, and in a specific but not exclusive usage, a mixture destined
to be humus (no, I did _not_ say hummous), while the other is a mixture
of fruits. I don't see this as an especially large difference. In both
cases the operative concept is a combination of objects.

Adamantius
--
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com

"It was so blatant that Roger threw at him.  Clemens gets away with
things that get other people thrown out of games.  As long as they
let him get away with it, it's going  to continue." -- Joe Torre, 9/98