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Help[Opinions] Triste = Sad
in reply to a message by thetxbelle
Several people have said they don't like the name because it has the French triste - sad - in it.
I don't quite understand this, do you disregard Sadie for the same reason? Or Madeline because it as the word Mad in it?
Not getting at anyone, just wondered, I often hear that with -trist names, but not usually with other names.
I don't quite understand this, do you disregard Sadie for the same reason? Or Madeline because it as the word Mad in it?
Not getting at anyone, just wondered, I often hear that with -trist names, but not usually with other names.
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I'm not sure why either, but you are right, this is pretty common. I often hear that people find Trista and Tristan to be very attractive if it weren't for that pesky sadness connotation.
People don't seem half as bothered by other ones though... like "Mal", as in Mallory or Malcolm or Malachy. Yet "Mal" comes from the same root as "bad, evil, ill, etc" (those roots are not connected to to "mal" in Malcolm or Malachy at all, but neither is the "trist" in Tristan related at all to the French "triste" so go figure!)
It's very interesting.
People don't seem half as bothered by other ones though... like "Mal", as in Mallory or Malcolm or Malachy. Yet "Mal" comes from the same root as "bad, evil, ill, etc" (those roots are not connected to to "mal" in Malcolm or Malachy at all, but neither is the "trist" in Tristan related at all to the French "triste" so go figure!)
It's very interesting.
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Mal bothers me in Mallory because it actually relates to the meaning.
It doesn't bother me in Malcolm or Malachi (Malachy just doesn't look right at all) because it has no relevance to the meaning.
For Trista and Tristan, the actual meanings don't appeal to me (Why would I name a kid something that means a tumult, which is often a bunch of idiots? First thing that comes to mind is the Vancouver riot a few months ago). The other reason I don't like Tristan is that while it may be a boys' name, it sounds super-girly in style... Almost like someone made a few typos in Kristin.
It doesn't bother me in Malcolm or Malachi (Malachy just doesn't look right at all) because it has no relevance to the meaning.
For Trista and Tristan, the actual meanings don't appeal to me (Why would I name a kid something that means a tumult, which is often a bunch of idiots? First thing that comes to mind is the Vancouver riot a few months ago). The other reason I don't like Tristan is that while it may be a boys' name, it sounds super-girly in style... Almost like someone made a few typos in Kristin.
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I mainly like Tristan because of Tristan and Isolde, and I think that association overshadows the "sad". I don't have any other associations for Beatriste (and it has the whole word "triste" in it, not just "triste").
I usually notice "Mal" in names. It doesn't impact whether or not I like them as names (I still like Tristan, Beatriste, etc.) but I do tend to use "Mal-" names for 'bad' characters, etc.
Also, maybe the connotations are different? I, at least, would rather have a name meaning "evil" than "sad"... although that may not be universal...
I usually notice "Mal" in names. It doesn't impact whether or not I like them as names (I still like Tristan, Beatriste, etc.) but I do tend to use "Mal-" names for 'bad' characters, etc.
Also, maybe the connotations are different? I, at least, would rather have a name meaning "evil" than "sad"... although that may not be universal...
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So I had never looked up the name Mallory before and now I am both amused and horrified that my cousin was named this.
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Yeah it has one of the worst meanings I have seen. Still the sound is nice and I guess most people won't know about the meaning, so I think your cousin will be fine :)
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Sadie doesn't sound like the word "sad" (if it were "Saddie", then that'd be a different story).
And I know people named Madel(e)ine who flip out if people call them "Mad" as a short form. Madeleine's not one I'd use myself so I've never really thought about disliking it for the 'Mad' part. I do like it, though, but I just wouldn't use a nickname for it. Plus, the Madeleines I've known have been French or German so the "mad" part isn't strong, whereas with Beatriste, the TRISTE part is emphasized (well, 'triste' as one syllable if you say it in French. It's not easy to ignore Spanish 'triste' either).
Also, I think words at the start of a name are more easily overlooked than at the end. Nobody ever mentions "beat" as the start of Beatrice. I don't think "beat" is particularly placid, but it also isn't pronounced like the word. But yet, a lot of times when I see Beata mentioned, there are a slew of "beat" comments, but there's just one extra letter in that case.
People don't like Violet because it's too close to 'violent'. Viola is the present 3rd person singular of "to violate" in Spanish... I still love Viola, but I don't pronounce them the same either.
It just depends what you're looking for.
Some people will overlook "triste" and others won't.
ETA: just mentioning that there are a lot of names with sad meanings, like I previously mentioned Dolores and Angustias. Sad meanings don't bother everyone.
And I know people named Madel(e)ine who flip out if people call them "Mad" as a short form. Madeleine's not one I'd use myself so I've never really thought about disliking it for the 'Mad' part. I do like it, though, but I just wouldn't use a nickname for it. Plus, the Madeleines I've known have been French or German so the "mad" part isn't strong, whereas with Beatriste, the TRISTE part is emphasized (well, 'triste' as one syllable if you say it in French. It's not easy to ignore Spanish 'triste' either).
Also, I think words at the start of a name are more easily overlooked than at the end. Nobody ever mentions "beat" as the start of Beatrice. I don't think "beat" is particularly placid, but it also isn't pronounced like the word. But yet, a lot of times when I see Beata mentioned, there are a slew of "beat" comments, but there's just one extra letter in that case.
People don't like Violet because it's too close to 'violent'. Viola is the present 3rd person singular of "to violate" in Spanish... I still love Viola, but I don't pronounce them the same either.
It just depends what you're looking for.
Some people will overlook "triste" and others won't.
ETA: just mentioning that there are a lot of names with sad meanings, like I previously mentioned Dolores and Angustias. Sad meanings don't bother everyone.
This message was edited 10/20/2011, 6:53 AM
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I'm not inclined to use Viola anyway, but that Span. reference is good to know. Violet and violent falls into the same category of the twits who try to compare Santa and Satan. My issue for the triste bit would depend on whether the Fr. meaning was actually carried in the name... aside from that, I'd just find Beatriste unattractive by its own sound merits w/out the Fr. for sad.
I def. wouldn't be inclined to use Gary though because aside from not being fond of it in the first place, the Jpns. word geri (same prn) means diarrhea and I think it would be a rather unfortunate name for a child growing up in Japan.
I def. wouldn't be inclined to use Gary though because aside from not being fond of it in the first place, the Jpns. word geri (same prn) means diarrhea and I think it would be a rather unfortunate name for a child growing up in Japan.
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Exaaactly, a lot of it does depend where you live, which languages you speak and where the child will be growing up.
I'm Canadian, grew up bilingual in French and English, learned Spanish, moved to Catalan-speaking Spain (not to Catalunya, just to be clear), moved to the Basque Country and that's where I am now. I'm so infatuated with Pazkoala as a Basque form of Pascale... no good when you start speaking Spanish and it's not so much about Easter as it is about "peace koala".
I also love Pau... but my friends in Canada will just think I named my kid "Pow".
And I think in the case of Beatriste, with the whole French-Spanish-Catalan-Basque part of my life, thinking "triste" is anything except for French/Spanish/Basque "sad" (and "one letter off from 'trist' which is Catalan) will just not happen for me when that's 4 of the 5 languages I speak and/or understand and/or hear on a daily basis. If I spoke Polish, Turkish and Icelandic, I wouldn't have made the connection, and probably wouldn't have cared about it even after I learned about it.
It's all relative, I guess.
I'm Canadian, grew up bilingual in French and English, learned Spanish, moved to Catalan-speaking Spain (not to Catalunya, just to be clear), moved to the Basque Country and that's where I am now. I'm so infatuated with Pazkoala as a Basque form of Pascale... no good when you start speaking Spanish and it's not so much about Easter as it is about "peace koala".
I also love Pau... but my friends in Canada will just think I named my kid "Pow".
And I think in the case of Beatriste, with the whole French-Spanish-Catalan-Basque part of my life, thinking "triste" is anything except for French/Spanish/Basque "sad" (and "one letter off from 'trist' which is Catalan) will just not happen for me when that's 4 of the 5 languages I speak and/or understand and/or hear on a daily basis. If I spoke Polish, Turkish and Icelandic, I wouldn't have made the connection, and probably wouldn't have cared about it even after I learned about it.
It's all relative, I guess.
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Yeah I agree, it's also because it means "sad" in so many languages. Also in German "trist" means "sad".
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Sadie sounds like SAY-dee not SAD-ee. And I don't like the name. I can't say whether it's because it has the sad part in it, I just never liked it at all. With Madeline the MAD-eh part is so strongly connected that I don't hear the mad much either.
But in Beatriste you really hear the triste part and it sounds exactly the same as the word when I pronounce it.
But in Beatriste you really hear the triste part and it sounds exactly the same as the word when I pronounce it.
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