"Which of my all important nothings should I tell you first?" ~ Jane Austen, in a letter to her sister

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Not quite Wordless Wednesday: Peonies, and some unfortunate euphemisms


Do you say Pee - uh - nee or Pe - OH - nee? We've been discussing this at my house and the hubby says one thing and I say the other. Well, I looked it up today and this is what I read:
Pronunciation of "Peony" Plants and Word Origin:
The standard pronunciation is pee'-uh-nee (accent on the first syllable). However, many people place the accent on the second syllable: pee-oh'-nee. As is often the case with anglicized versions of Latin words, rulings on what should be the standard pronunciation seem rather arbitrary. The word derives from the Latin genus name, Paeonia, which, in turn, derives from a figure in Greek mythology, Paeon (see below). If you want to be safe, stick with the standard pronunciation: pee'-uh-nee.
So, I would say that both are acceptable, right? I don't think I can teach myself to change the way I say it so it shall be acceptable (so sayeth me).

Here's the original:


I had to hold the stem up because the Peonies are so heavy they droop. (Like a couple other things I know and have to hold up sometimes as well. You know, sometimes you have to be big to be glorious. The heavier they are the more impact they make. The bigger the better. Size is impressive. I could go on. What? Sheesh).

Peonies. Peonies. Peonies. It's fun to say either way.

5 comments:

  1. Oh dear lord! You're too much.

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  2. I'm laughing my ass off here! Love you!

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  3. HAHAHAHA. I've decided that if I had to live off the land the peeohnee looks like a flower that would be delicious to eat.

    You are too funny!

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  4. Thanks guys!! My aim is to make you all laugh. :)

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  5. 38E. Yes. E.

    My lord I love me a pee-uh-knee.

    ReplyDelete