Wednesday, July 25, 2007

A word that's not what you think it is -- apian

(from wordsmith.org)

apian (AY-pee-uhn) adjective
Of or relating to bees. [From Latin apis (bee).]

No monkey business here. To bee or not to bee, that's the question. This word has nothing to do with apes -- their equivalent word is simian.

An apiary is a beehive.

"There are many kinds of awakenings to be had in Nepal - usually spiritual, often pharmacological - but mine was apian. I stood entranced as my guide, opened up a log hive to reveal some 60,000 bees."
--Gerard Baker; Honey - I'm Hooked; The Times (London, UK); Jul 17, 2004.

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