With it’s Latin roots (ferrum meaning iron and everything), I understand why in Catalan (and Spanish), a hardware store is called a ferreteria:
What I don’t understand is what you call a store that sells ferrets.
rebel with rather too many causes
With it’s Latin roots (ferrum meaning iron and everything), I understand why in Catalan (and Spanish), a hardware store is called a ferreteria:
What I don’t understand is what you call a store that sells ferrets.
“Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)”
Ferret Fer”ret, n. F. furet, cf. LL. furo; prob. fr. L. fur
thief (cf. Furtive); cf. Arm. fur wise, sly. (Zo”ol.)
An animal of the Weasel family (Mustela or Putorius furo),about fourteen inches in length, of a pale yellow or white color, with red eyes. It is a native of Africa, but has been domesticated in Europe. Ferrets are used to drive rabbits and rats out of their holes.
Maybe a store that sale things for ferrets?
Curious thing:
Since in Catalan, “iron” is “ferro”, ins Spanish is “hierro”. So
“ferro” -> “ferreteria”
“hierro”-> ¿”hierrerería”? but “ferretería”
Curious, isn’t it?
albert…
‘The Ferret Store’ perhaps?
Albert Mora: the thing is that the h used to sound like f in the old spanish. We still use fierro sometimes to talk about hierro in the city i am from in uruguay. It happens something like this with the j and the h, too…
gaba: this think you comment about ‘f’ and ‘h’ is clearly seen in Galician-Portuguese, where “iron” is “fierro” (if I remember correctly)…