A cross-linguistic jellyfish vocabulary

Any language used by coastal and seafaring people can be expected to have one or more words for jellyfish, since jellies are found in oceanic waters around the globe—from surface waters to the deep. Jellyfish terms in other languages often reflect aspects of appearance, behavior or occurrence. Jellyfish enthusiast Juli Berwald has researched jellyfish and human-jelly-relationships in many countries. In her inspiring book with the title “Spineless” [1], I found my favorite description of cross-linguistic jellyfish names. Here is a passage from the chapter “Bloom” (chapter 22): 

In Spain, Italy, and France, a jellyfish is named for the misunderstood mythological Medusa. Similarly, Israel calls jellies meduzot. In Latin America, besides medusas, jellies are called malaguas or agua mala, meaning “bad water.” Sometimes they are called lagrimas de mar, which pulls at the heart with its meaning: “tears of the sea.” More encouragingly, in Portuguese, jellyfish are known as água-viva, or “living water.” I give the award for the most creative of the Romance-language names to aguacuajada, which means “curdled water” in Spanish. 
                                                                       Juli Berwald, 2017

Juli Berwald continues with other interesting terms or phrases used for jellies in various languages. Since she does not include Dutch and German nouns for jellyfish, I like to add these two related words here: kwal and Qualle, respectively. According to my German handbook of word origins [2], the lower German (Niederdeutsch) word Qualle is in use since at least the 16th century. The word is assumed to be related to the German verb “quellen” (to swell) and, thus, “eine Qualle” (a jellyfish) is “something swollen.”


Based on the words in Berwald's book [1] and the IDL jellyfish page [3], I am here putting together a short cross-linguistic jellyfish vocabulary, covering selected languages:

• Arabic: quanadil albahr
• Chinese: haizhe
• Danish: vandmand, meaning  “water man”
• Dutch: kwal  
• English: jellyfish, with jelly as short form; also sea jelly
• Farsi: arood darya-i, meaning  “sea bride”
• French: medusa
• German: Qualle
• Greek: médousa (μέδouσα)
• Hebrew: meduzot
• Icelandic: marglytta 
• Indonesian: ubur-ubur
• Italian: medusa
• Malayalam (tip of India): kadalchori
• Norwegian: manet
• Japanese: kurage 
• Spanish: medusa, aguacuajada
• Swedish: manet
• Turkish: deniz anası
• Vietnamese: sua
• Welsh (slang): psygod wibbly wobbly, meaning  “wiggle wiggle fish”

References and more to explore

[1] Juli Berwald: Spineless. Riverhead Books, New York, 2017.
[2] Duden Herkunftswörterbuch - Etymologie der deutschen Sprache. 3rd Edition. Dudenverlag, Mannheim, 2001.
[3] IDL: How to Say Jellyfish in Different Languages. Link: https://www.indifferentlanguages.com/words/jellyfish. 

What are Lessepsian migrants?

Lessepsian migrants are invasive marine species that are “traveling” via the Suez Canal by water flow or maritime transport from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. When they succeed in colonizing their new environment, they impact marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean. In fact, they then have crossed a once natural land barrier between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, the ecological influence of Lessepsian migrants will reach beyond the Mediterranean. The blue-spotted cornet fish may become the first Red Sea species to reach Gibraltar and even move farther [1].

The anthropogenically caused Lessepsian migration is named after the French diplomat and administrator Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805 - 1905), who was inspired by Napoleon's abandoned plans for a canal through Egypt that would shortcut the long sea journey around the southern tip of Africa [2].

The blue-spotted cornet fish is just one example of a Lessepsian migrant. Tiger prawns, mackarel and poisonous pufferfish are further examples—affecting not only ecosystems but humans, beneficially and otherwise. In her book with the title “Spineless,“ Juli Berwald explores facts and secrets of jellyfish [1]. The nomadic jellyfish is thought to be a Lessepsian migrant. Massive blooms of nomadic jellyfish have been witnessed off the Mediterranean coast. Spineless or not, species continue invading the eastern Mediterranean. Juli Berwald describes Lessepsian migration as follows:

The number of new invasive species in the Mediterranean has doubled in the last two decades. Over four hundred species have traveled the Suez from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and established populations there. Together they have earned their own name, Lessepsian migrants, which recalls the Frenchman who envisioned and developed the Suez Canal, Ferdinand de Lesseps. Because of the flow pattern in the canal, only a few species have made the reverse passage from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.                                                                 Juli Berwald, 2017

Keywords: marine biology, non-native species, invasion, terminology.

References and more to explore

[1] Juli Berwald: Spineless. Riverhead Books, New York, 2017.
[2] BBC History: Ferdinand de Lesseps (1805 - 1894). Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/de_lesseps_ferdinand.shtml.

One of the once richest gold mining communities in California founded by two German brothers

Dutch Flat school painting in  Museum

Dutch Flat was founded during the Gold Rush era in 1851 by Joseph and Charles Dornbach [1]. Also referred to as Dutchman's Flat and Dutch's Flat, this community is located about 30 miles northeast of Auburn in the Sierra Nevada. The Dornbach brothers were not Dutch but German immigrants.Yet the attribute “Dutch” stuck since local miners addressed the brothers this way. A handout provided in the Golden Drift Museum, next to the Dutch Flat Hotel on Dutch Flat's Main Street, in explains [2]:

The community derived its name from the Dornbachs, who emigrated to this country from Prussia but were tagged with the nickname “Dutch” by miners. Their business establishment was referred to as “Dutch's Flat” and as development in the area occurred as far east as Crystal Springs, the entire section became known as  “Dutch Flat”.
< The Dutch Flat Community Club, Dutch Flat, Placer County, California >

Golden Drift Museum

Dutch Flat started as a mining town. Before it was connected to “the outside word” by railroad,  it was an important stagecoach stop, “making it one of the largest and most important towns in Placer County from about 1864 to 1866” [3].

Dutch Flat Hotel

According to an informative panel at the Golden Drift Museum, Dutch Flat, in 1861, had 7 grocery stores, 8 clothing stores, 2 hardware stores, 1 drug store, 2 butcher stalls, 1 bakery, 17 saloons, 2 breweries. 3 blacksmith shops, 2 tin shops, 1 carpenter shop, 2 hotels, 1 restaurant, 1 school and 3 churches. Sounds like a fully functional & fun 19th century town. 

Dutch Flat is easily accessible via Interstate 80 (exit 145).


Keywords: place name; name confusion; Dutch; German; Californian; heritage.

References and more to explore

[1] Office of Historic Preservation: Town of Dutch Flat - Historical Landmark. Link: ohp.parks.ca.gov/ListedResources/Detail/397.
[2] Handout published by The Dutch Flat Community Club, Dutch Flat, Placer County, California.
[3] Western Mining History. westernmininghistory.com/towns/california/dutch-flat-ca/.

Washoe County's Deadman's Creek named for two ranch partners found dead in their cabin

Trail crossing Deadman's Creek

Deadman's Creek is located in Washoe Lake State Park, Nevada. Half a mile west of the park's visitor center off Eastlake Boulevard, hikers enjoy both the interpretive nature trail and Deadman's Creek Loop Trail meandering uphill and out of the riparian canyon to sagebrush slopes and rock outcrops with spectacular views of Washoe Lake, the Franktown corner and the Carson Range. During the pioneer days, these foothills of the Virginia Range southeast of Washoe Lake featured some ranchland in the shadow of the Comstock mining hills. A trailside information post summarizes Deadman's History:

Not much is written about the history of Deadman's Creek, but according to the book Pioneers of the Ponderosa by Myra Sauer Ratay, two partners owned a ranch in the southeast corner of Washoe Valley. On June 6, 1865, the two men were found dead in their cabin.

“There has remained an aura of mystery about the events and to this day the little green farm in Hidden Valley in the sagebrush covered hills is known as ‘Dead Man's Ranch.’ ”

Myra Sauer Ratay (1912-1999), born in Franktown, is known for—or should be rediscovered by reading—her books “Pioneers of the Ponderosa: How Washoe Valley Rescued the Comstock”  (1973)  and “Boom Times in Old Washoe City, Nevada” (1984); both once published by Western Printing and Publishing Co. of Sparks, Nevada [1-3].

Deadman's Creek canyon view with Washoe Lake and Carson Range in the background

Post summary on Tumblr: https://axeleratio.tumblr.com/post/185184575063/washoe-countys-deadmans-creek-named-for-two.


Keywords: Deadman's Ranch, mystery, pioneer era, chronicling, books, anecdotes, Myra Sauer Ratay.

References and more to explore

[1] Myra Sauer Ratay's Books:  www.ng-tek.com/nrgen/research/MyraBooks.html.
[2] Myra Sauer Ratay  Find A Grave: www.findagrave.com/memorial/13279810/myra-ratay.
[3] Myra Sauer Ratay, Memorial Service. Clipped From Reno Gazette-Journal: /www.newspapers.com/clip/23445969/reno_gazettejournal.

Alexandrite, a rare form of the mineral chrysoberyl named for Tsar Alexander Ⅱ

Discovered in the 1830s in the Ural Mountains in Russia, the mineral alexandrite was named to honor Czar Alexander Ⅱ [1-3]. Alexandrite is a rare form of  chrysoberyl, a transparent, pale yellow-green mineral. By composition, chrysoberyl is beryllium aluminate with the formula BeAl₂O₄. Alexandrite contains impurities of chromium ions (Cr³⁺), which replace less than 0.5% of the aluminum ions (Al³⁺) [3]. This variation in ion-species composition results in a change of light-absorption behavior, making alexandrite appear yellow-green to greenish-blue in daylight and purple-red under artificial light.

In a recent American Scientist infographic, Andy Brunning introduced alexandrite as follows [2]:

Alexandrite is a rare form of the mineral chrysoberyl, which has the chemical formula Al₂BeO₄. Not content with being one color, it can display a whole range of hues, depending on the light falling on it. Deposits of alexandrite were first discovered in the 1830s, in the Ural Mountains in Russia. Mineralogist Count Lev Alekseevich Perovskii presented it to the future Tsar Alexander Ⅱ on his 16th birthday and named it in his honor.

It is interesting to find alexandrite typically associated with the formula BeAl₂O₄—not reflecting its nature of being a chromium variety of chrysoberyl (see, for example, its mindat entry [4]). To annotate data entries and abstracted text as specifically bound to alexandrite, the CurlySMILES language [5] provides the needed syntax: {*BeAl2O4}{IMc=[Cr+3]}. In this notation, the Stoichiometric Formula Notation (SFN) is augmented by annotation code beginning with the miscellaneous interest annotation marker IM for impurity and continuing with the specification of the impurity ion. CurlySMILES further allows integration of text and code. The above notation can be enhanced by explicitly stating the mineral name (using annotation dictionary key min):  
{*BeAl2O4}{IMc=[Cr+3];min=alexandrite} 


Keywords: mineralogy, chemistry, cheminformatics, nomenclature, mineral notation, mineral formula encoding, compact annotation.

References and more to explore

[1] Carly Wickell: Get the Facts About Alexandrite. The spruceCrafts, December 13, 2018. Link: www.thesprucecrafts.com/alexandrite-facts-2042901.
[2] Andy Brunning: The color of alexandrite. American Scientist Jan.-Feb. 2019. 107 (1).
[3] The Mineral Chrysoberyl. Minerals.net. Link: www.minerals.net/mineral/chrysoberyl.aspx.
[4] Alexandrite. Mindat.org. Link: www.mindat.org/min-109.html.
[5] Axel Drefahl: CurlySMILES: a chemical language to customize and annotate encodings of molecular and nanodevice structures. Journal of Cheminformatics 2011, 3:1. DOI: 10.1186/1758-2946-3-1.

Felsina → Bononia → Bologna

The city of Felsina was founded by Etruscans over 2,500 years ago on the edge of the Po Plain. This is the site of modern Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Northern Italy. During early Roman times, the city was called by its Latin name: Bononia, derived from the Celtic word for settlement. In fact, the city was refounded and resettled several times. For example, Bononia was founded in 189 B.C. as a Latin colony, where Felsina had stood before it had fallen to invading Gauls [1-4].

The history of “modern Bologna” starts in 1088, when the city became the seat of the oldest university (of in what is defined as the western world). Bologna grew as an expanding university and today is an open-air museum. You may not be a mathematician, but you may nevertheless enjoy the introduction to Bologna in the Summer 2018 “Mathematical Tourist” column of  “The Mathematical Intelligencer,” which begins as follows [4]: 

Bologna was founded by the Etruscans, who called it Felsina. It was named Bononia by the ancient Romans, perhaps because of the presence in its territory of the Boii Celts. Although it is a city full of history and art, it is less frequented by tourists than other Italian cities like Venice, Florence, or the eternal Rome. Few of those tourists know, however, that it was one of the first cities in the world to have legislation for the protection of cultural assets [...].This makes Bologna a kind of open-air museum; walking through its streets, one may come across works of art or archaeological finds that in other cities are found only within museums.
                                             Gonzáles, Rabiti, and Cartwright, 2018

Bologna—a city of multiple firsts, many outdoor attractions and of scientific and mathematical significance.

Keywords: geography, place names, history, Boii Celts, Northern Italy.

References and more to explore

[1] Felsina. ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA. Internet: www.britannica.com/place/Felsina.
[2] Bononia. Wiktionary. Internet: en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Bononia.
[3] Felsina/Bononia. PLEIDES. pleiades.stoa.org/places/393421.
[4] Stillwell, R. and MacDonald, W. L. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1976; page 158.
[5] Gonzáles, D.L., Rabiti, L. and Cartwright, J. H. E. Bonaventura Cavalieri and Bologna. The Mathematical Intelligencer, Summer 2018, 40 (20), 21-29. DOI: 10.1007/s00283-018-9779-5.  

What is TEIRESIAS?

TEIRESIAS is a supercomputer of the European Union, used for criminal investigation services. It is the latest iteration of Terry, which is an artificial-intelligence-empowered computer allowing investigators to “ghost” into crime scenes virtually realized by including information via drone-surveillance data and AI algorithms. TEIRESIAS is fictional: invented by Tom Hillenbrand in the thriller “Drohnenland” [1]—“Drone Country” [2].

In Hillenbrand's crime novel, TEIRESIAS is an acronym. But the word is also referring to a complex figure in Greek mythology [3]. Such, it was chosen as the name for a computer system assisting as a “prophet” in solving complex tasks in criminology.  Here is the German-language text snippet from the novel revealing how the acronym, which abbreviates an English-language phrase, was derived [4]:

Es ist eine typische EU-Abkürzung. Irgendjemand hielt es für eine gute Idee, unseren Fahndungscomputer nach einem allwissenden homerischen Seher zu benennen. Und später hat sich dann ein Öffentlichkeitsarbeiter aus den Fingern gesogen, wofür diese Abkürzung angeblich steht. [...]
»Es steht für ›TElemetric REenactments and Immersive Simulations of ActualitieS‹. «

In the beginning there was the name, then it became an acronym.

References and more to explore

[1] Tom Hillenbrand: Drohnenland. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Köln, 11. Auflage 2018.
[2] English sample translation by Steven T. Murray:  Drone Country. Internet: www.kiwi-verlag.de/rights/buch/drone-country/978-3-462-04662-5/.
[3] Teiresias. Greek Mythology. Internet: www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Figures/Teiresias/teiresias.html.
[4] pages 105 and 106 in [1].