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From: galenr@iddic.UUCP (Galen Redfield)
Newsgroups: net.garden,net.consumers
Subject: Re: Re: Grass
Message-ID: <2123@iddic.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 18:01:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: iddic.2123
Posted: Wed Aug 14 18:01:25 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 18-Aug-85 04:00:55 EDT
References: <10695@rochester.UUCP> <449@nbires.UUCP>
Reply-To: galenr@iddic.UUCP (Galen Redfield)
Distribution: net
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 28
Xref: watmath net.garden:721 net.consumers:2802
Summary: 

In article <449@nbires.UUCP> bob@nbires.UUCP (Bob Bruck) writes:
>In article <10695@rochester.UUCP> nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) writes:
>> Why do we have grass lawns?
>
>It seems obvious to me.  We Americans have an abundance of land and free time
>to work the land for show.  If I'm not mistaken, the word lawn came from
>launder - through which it means "to clean up the land".  Just like gardens
>elsewhere, lawns are a way for us to show our wealth and grandeur.
>
>					Bob Bruck
>					NBI Inc.    Boulder, Co.
>					(hao | allegra | ...)!nbires!bob

It seemed so obvious to me that I used a dictionary.  Either  you
are  wrong,  or Webster's made something up to fill the etymology
entry for one or both of these words.  They  think  that  laundry
came  from  the  Latin word for "to wash," whereas lawn came from
the Middle French word for heath (heather), dervied from the  Old
Irish word "land," meaning "open space."

Americans are almost as good at making up  explanations  as  they
are  at  showing  off their wealth and grandeur (perhaps they are
showing off their intellectual wealth and grandeur).

We have grass lawns because we planted them.

Warm regards,
Galen.