View Message

New Post
Search
Help
Archives

This is a reply within a larger thread: view the whole thread

Re: Mavromichaelis
by Anneza (guest)
7/29/2002, 7:27 AM
in reply to a message by Pavlos
Interesting! Is that MAVR the same as the MAUR in Mauretania and Maurice? And what's the difference between this mavr- = black and kara- = black? Can they be used in the same way?
Reply
vote up1vote down

Replies

- Pavlos (guest)   +1
7/29/2002, 9:38 AM
Spot-on! Mavros is the anglo-phonetic version of "Mauro" which is means Black in Greek. Mauritania, Maurice, etc, are indeed derived from "mauros". Mauros itself derived from the even more Ancient Greek "amauros" meaning "dim, faint, ambiguous (metaphorically)".Kara- , which appears as a prefix in some comtemporary Greek surnames, means "black" in Turkish.While on the subject, its worth noting that Ethiopian "Aithiops" literally means "sun-burnt face" from "aithein" (to burn) and "ops" (face).
Reply
vote up1vote down
- Pavlos (guest)
7/29/2002, 9:45 AM
Ivayla beat me by 3 minutes and 1 second :P
Reply
vote up1vote down
- Ivayla (guest)
7/29/2002, 9:35 AM
They come from different languages: kara- is Turkish, maur- Latin, mavr- Greek. Otherwise yes -- Kara- can be used in conjunction with names to denote "the black so-and-so" as in Kara Ibrahim = the black (dark) Ibrahim.
Hope that helps :o)
Reply
vote up1vote down