APPELLATION
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:37 pm
• Appellation •
Pronunciation: æp-pê-ley-shên • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun, proper
Meaning: The name of a mountain chain in the Eastern United States; however, for more information, be sure to read today's Good Word to the end.
Notes: The Appellation Mountain chain runs from Maine to Georgia. It comprises a series of ranges, including the Green Mountains of Quebec and Vermont, the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Maine, the Adirondacks and Catskills of New York, the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, and the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Georgia.
In Play: The Appellation Mountains are known for their beautiful hiking trails: "Marvin is proud of the fact that he hiked the entire Appellation Trail last summer." Otherwise, they just sit there: "The Appellation Mountains were of little help in the Civil War since they run in the wrong direction: from north to south rather than east to west."
Word History: Although a lot of apples grow in the Appellation Mountains, today's Good Word is not based on this noun. Rather, it comes from French appellation, the descendant of Latin appellatio(n), the noun from the verb appellare "to call, to entreat." When geographers were naming mountains in the US, they couldn't think of a name for the Appellations, so they just called them the names, using a French word for names to fool everybody. (Today we thank Dr. April Phule, Professor of English at Didwefuhl U., for submitting this Good Word for this April Fool's Day, the day of practical jokes in the US. By the way, this error actually occurs in essays written by US college students, which is one of the reasons why we send out our Good Words.)
Pronunciation: æp-pê-ley-shên • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun, proper
Meaning: The name of a mountain chain in the Eastern United States; however, for more information, be sure to read today's Good Word to the end.
Notes: The Appellation Mountain chain runs from Maine to Georgia. It comprises a series of ranges, including the Green Mountains of Quebec and Vermont, the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Maine, the Adirondacks and Catskills of New York, the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, and the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Georgia.
In Play: The Appellation Mountains are known for their beautiful hiking trails: "Marvin is proud of the fact that he hiked the entire Appellation Trail last summer." Otherwise, they just sit there: "The Appellation Mountains were of little help in the Civil War since they run in the wrong direction: from north to south rather than east to west."
Word History: Although a lot of apples grow in the Appellation Mountains, today's Good Word is not based on this noun. Rather, it comes from French appellation, the descendant of Latin appellatio(n), the noun from the verb appellare "to call, to entreat." When geographers were naming mountains in the US, they couldn't think of a name for the Appellations, so they just called them the names, using a French word for names to fool everybody. (Today we thank Dr. April Phule, Professor of English at Didwefuhl U., for submitting this Good Word for this April Fool's Day, the day of practical jokes in the US. By the way, this error actually occurs in essays written by US college students, which is one of the reasons why we send out our Good Words.)