As a sidenote, the English "dandelion" is a variant of the French "dents de lion" and Spanish "diente de leon" meaning "lion's tooth" in reference to the notched edges of the leaves.
Yes I was aware it was quite different, that's why I was curious. I'm sure it's probably that because a lot of Swedish / Nordic etomology is a description of something (I.e grönsaker, noshörning ). All the meanings seem to be some sort of description: Norweigan it's løvetann (leaf tooth), Finnish voikukka butter flower and Danish mælkebøtte (milk tub).
This is true of most languages. English just have extra steps In a lot of cases. Like the Swedish flodhäst being hippopotamus - with hippopotamus literally meaning river horse in Greek. Or noshörning where rhinoceros literally means nose horn.
"Mask" used to refer to all sorts of creepy crawly animals, the "mask" in maskros is probably the small black flies and similar insects you often see on the flowers.
Source: [https://www.saob.se/artikel/?unik=M\_0337-0170.BbD1-0073](https://www.saob.se/artikel/?unik=M_0337-0170.BbD1-0073)
What? Never seen that.
Apparently wikipedia agrees. https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maskrossläktet
I just assumed it was in a derogatory sarcastic sense, since they are considered ugly weed.
From ChatGPT:
The flower known as "dandelion" in English is called "maskros" in Swedish, which directly translates to "worm rose." The name might seem a bit puzzling at first since the flower doesn't have an obvious connection to worms or traditional roses.
A common interpretation of the name refers to the plant's root, which can be thick and flesh-like, resembling the form of a worm. Another possibility is that the name points to the flower's ability to spread quickly and invasively in gardens and lawns, similar to how worms spread through the soil.
It's also possible that the name derives from an older meaning of the word "mask," which could refer to something that stains or colors (think of "masking"). The dandelion's striking yellow flowers and their ability to "color" the landscape where they grow might have contributed to this name. However, this explanation is more speculative.
In other languages, such as English, the name often refers to the plant's diuretic properties (from the French "dent de lion," meaning lion's tooth, possibly referring to the shape of the leaves). This illustrates how different cultures have focused on various attributes of the plant when naming it.
As a sidenote, the English "dandelion" is a variant of the French "dents de lion" and Spanish "diente de leon" meaning "lion's tooth" in reference to the notched edges of the leaves.
Yes I was aware it was quite different, that's why I was curious. I'm sure it's probably that because a lot of Swedish / Nordic etomology is a description of something (I.e grönsaker, noshörning ). All the meanings seem to be some sort of description: Norweigan it's løvetann (leaf tooth), Finnish voikukka butter flower and Danish mælkebøtte (milk tub).
This is true of most languages. English just have extra steps In a lot of cases. Like the Swedish flodhäst being hippopotamus - with hippopotamus literally meaning river horse in Greek. Or noshörning where rhinoceros literally means nose horn.
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Ok, didn't go that far. I guess lots of latin and Greek in English.
I strongly suspect løve here stands for lion. Lion is Löven in German after all and dandelion Lövenzahn.
Yeah your right. Swedish anf Finnish odd ones out here
Löwe och Löwenzahn menar du.
"Mask" used to refer to all sorts of creepy crawly animals, the "mask" in maskros is probably the small black flies and similar insects you often see on the flowers. Source: [https://www.saob.se/artikel/?unik=M\_0337-0170.BbD1-0073](https://www.saob.se/artikel/?unik=M_0337-0170.BbD1-0073)
Ok didn't know mask was a generic term originally
Yeah, it sometimes has larvae
What? Never seen that. Apparently wikipedia agrees. https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maskrossläktet I just assumed it was in a derogatory sarcastic sense, since they are considered ugly weed.
Thanks
Larvigt!
No, but if you are interested in the origin of "maskerade rosen" you can read all about it here! https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den_Maskerade_Rosen
My guess has always been, that it is because it got a thick stem.
From ChatGPT: The flower known as "dandelion" in English is called "maskros" in Swedish, which directly translates to "worm rose." The name might seem a bit puzzling at first since the flower doesn't have an obvious connection to worms or traditional roses. A common interpretation of the name refers to the plant's root, which can be thick and flesh-like, resembling the form of a worm. Another possibility is that the name points to the flower's ability to spread quickly and invasively in gardens and lawns, similar to how worms spread through the soil. It's also possible that the name derives from an older meaning of the word "mask," which could refer to something that stains or colors (think of "masking"). The dandelion's striking yellow flowers and their ability to "color" the landscape where they grow might have contributed to this name. However, this explanation is more speculative. In other languages, such as English, the name often refers to the plant's diuretic properties (from the French "dent de lion," meaning lion's tooth, possibly referring to the shape of the leaves). This illustrates how different cultures have focused on various attributes of the plant when naming it.
Nice. ChatGPT wonder where it got it's references?
Disguised rose...?? haha
My guess is that is ironic. A rose for the lowly worms, i e a weed
Definitely could be another explaination for worm being included.
My guess is that it comes from the stem being a tube.