Etymology Word of the Week – As some of you know, in addition to working in the Admissions Office, I also teach Latin at Saint Ignatius and am something of a "word nerd." Thus, each week, I’ll sneak a vocabulary word (sometimes derived from Latin, sometimes not) into the e-blast. Here, then. is this week’s edition of the Etymology Word of the Week.
Fleur de Lis
Definition: “A heraldic device (often associated with the royal family of France) resembling three petals of an iris tied by an encircling band.”
Origin/Derivation: From the French fleur meaning “flower” and de lis meaning “of the lily or iris.”
Related Words/Phrases: Not a ton - flourish, florist, and maybe a few others. But lots of hockey names are French! Marc-Andre Fleury (nicknamed “Flower”), Guy LaFleur (nicknamed “The Flower” - hockey people are so original…), Eric Desjardins (“of the gardens” - full of flowers, no doubt) and many more.
Photo Caption: “1) Fleur de Lis, 2) New Orleans Saints helmet, 3) Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Sakic’s Quebec Nordiques jersey, and 4) Hockey Hall of Famer Guy LaFleur’s Montreal Canadiens jersey”