Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 (Tek) 9/28/84 based on 9/17/84; site iddic.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!orca!iddic!galenr 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.