ZELKOVA

TileHead’s Word of the Day for 12 December 2011

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ZELKOVA  (n. pl. -S)

Definition(s):

1. (n.) an Asian tree of the elm family, various species of which are used as a shade tree, for timber, or for a bonsai tree

Useful information for game players:

• Front hooks: (none)
• Back hooks: -S
• Anagrams: (none)
• Longer extensions: (none)
• Wraparounds: (none)
• Other Spellings: (none)
• Related Forms: (none)

Epilogue:
One species of this tree is native to parts of Japan, China, and the Caucasus — this last place being an ethnically diverse region where Iran, Russia, and Turkey come together.  Probably because of the Caucasus connection, the English word for this tree family comes from the Russian zel’kova and ultimately from the Georgian dzelkva, roughly meaning “hard rock” (because it was often used in making durable construction materials).  Among the very few other English words deriving from Georgian are LARI and TETRI, both forms of Georgian currency.

Theme:
A zany collection of words starting with the letter Z

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