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From: gmf@uvacs.UUCP (Gordon M. Fisher)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Re: Grapefruit
Message-ID: <1984@uvacs.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 23-Mar-85 17:01:48 EST
Article-I.D.: uvacs.1984
Posted: Sat Mar 23 17:01:48 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Mar-85 07:05:40 EST
References: <1186@decwrl.UUCP> <356@ihu1m.UUCP>
Organization: U.Va. CS dept.  Charlottesville, VA
Lines: 40



> --
> >         The grapefruit is called a grapefruit because it grows in
> >         bunches as grapes do.
> > 
> >         Jon
>
>                                    ..... I know 
> that they do *NOT* grow in bunches.
> ken perlow       *****   *****
>

*The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology* (ed. C.T.Onions)
says the English word  grape  is probably derived from the
Old French word  grape  from  graper  (gather), which in turn
was from  grape  or  grappe  (hook)  (cf. English  grappling,
grappling iron or hook).  The dictionary then says "Hence
grape-fruit  (orig. U.S.), shaddock, pomelo."  There is no
reference to "growing in bunches" or "clustering".

Eric Partridge in his *Origins* says Bloch and von Wartburg
"suggest that a bunch of grapes was, in OF, named  grape  because
of the shape-resemblance of a bunch to a hook."  Partridge
continues: "Such compounds as  grapefruit  and  grapevine  are
self-explanatory," which doesn't seem to be true in the case
of  grapefruit .


> But etymologists have vivid imaginations.

So, I think, do lots of people who work in natural language
processing.


          Gordon Fisher
          ...mcnc!uvacs!gmf