Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ

A.Word.A.Day--siamese

Siamese (si-uh-MEEZ, -MEES) adjective

1. Relating to Siam; Thai.

2. Closely connected, similar, or twin.

3. Relating to a Y-shaped connection among three pipes.

noun

1. A native of Siam; a Thai.

2. The Thai language.

[From Siam, former name of Thailand. Sense 3 is after Chang and Eng (1811-1874), who were born in Siam congenitally united.]

"A success story that people may remember is about the Siamese twins from Bougainville who were separated by surgeons in Australia some years ago." Theo Thomas; Fate of the Mendi Twins; The National (Papua New Guinea); Sep 18, 2003.

"Amazingly, the work areas don't seem to be congested even though the space contains the assembly/control center, a sub assembly station for joining the Siamese crankcase cores..." Harry Hirano, et al.; Coremaking at Toyoda; Foundry Management and Technology; Feb 1, 1998.

Sawadee, Bangkok! I have had a delightful time this past week meeting all the linguaphiles in Hong Kong. As I proceed towards Thailand (literally, the land of the free), it's time to feature words from around this region. I'll be speaking at Neilson Hayes Library, Bangkok on Oct 1 at 8 PM. If you live around here, stop by and say Sawadee (hello in Thai). Meanwhile, enjoy this week's words originating in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries and languages. -Anu

X-Bonus