View Message

This is a reply within a larger thread: view the whole thread

[Facts] Re: Pagona
The name was first - the bird later.
Not vice versa.
vote up1vote down

Replies

At the risk of becoming tiresome......Pagona is a *contemporary* Greek name. It means peacock and is derived from the ancient Greek word for peacock, paos/taos.It is patently false that the name came first and the bird later.
vote up1vote down
That's true in the case of Robin, but . . .. . . it certainly isn't the case with all bird names. Wren, for example, is occasionally used for girls these days, but was certainly not in use as a personal name prior to its use for the bird
(http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=wren). Likewise for Lark (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lark)Just because you find the use of the word "peacock" as a name a little ridiculous doesn't mean that some Greek parents of the early 1900s did not think it was lovely.
ChrisellAll we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.

This message was edited 8/10/2005, 6:29 AM

vote up1vote down
I agree Chrisell! Taste for names evolves and there is no accounting for it. In the early 20th century, Pagona was indeed quite chic. Today it is on the picturesque side, unless one is a dedicated ornithologist.
vote up1vote down