New Post
Search
Help
ArchivesRe: What does Marquita mean.
in reply to a message by Daividh
I wonder if the Spanish derived their word for "ladybug" from the name of "The Lady" (The Virgin Maria), and part of the word "chiquita" ("tiny")? Yes, it's a cute name with an interesting etymology. Ask Mikey to add it to the database. :)
-- Nanaea
-- Nanaea
1
Replies
Makes sense to me...I found this at http://www.celticbug.com/LadybugLore/LadybugLore.html :
"HOW THE LADYBUG GOT ITS NAME":
"There are varying legends about how the Ladybug came to be named,
but the most common (and enduring) is this:
In Europe, during the Middle Ages, swarms of insects were destroying the crops. The farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. Soon thereafter the Ladybugs came, devouring the plant-destroying pests and saving the crops!
The farmers called these beautiful insects "The Beetles of Our Lady", and they eventually became popularly known as "Lady Beetles"! The red wings were
said to represent the Virgin's cloak and the black spots were symbolic of both
her joys and her sorrows."
"HOW THE LADYBUG GOT ITS NAME":
"There are varying legends about how the Ladybug came to be named,
but the most common (and enduring) is this:
In Europe, during the Middle Ages, swarms of insects were destroying the crops. The farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. Soon thereafter the Ladybugs came, devouring the plant-destroying pests and saving the crops!
The farmers called these beautiful insects "The Beetles of Our Lady", and they eventually became popularly known as "Lady Beetles"! The red wings were
said to represent the Virgin's cloak and the black spots were symbolic of both
her joys and her sorrows."
1
This must be a European-wide legend, as I just checked the PLVdE and found that, even in Esperanto, the ladybug is called the "Maria-skarabo" -- "Mary beetle"!
-- Nanaea
-- Nanaea
1
A little bit more(than we wanted to know;) ) about Mariquita...
I brought this name up to my (primarily Spanish-speaking grandfather today and he informed me that it's a slang derogatory term for a homosexual (as is "Mariposa", meaning butterfly)--"Mariquito" is also used, but I think they both apply to men. (Then he looked alarmed, called my grandma over, and told me, "Promise your nana you won't use that name for your babies!" LOL!) He also mentioned that he knew of a couple of women named Marquita, like the original poster, but that he believed the names to be a feminine diminutive of Marcos , or Mark . It's just a guess, though.
Melissa
I brought this name up to my (primarily Spanish-speaking grandfather today and he informed me that it's a slang derogatory term for a homosexual (as is "Mariposa", meaning butterfly)--"Mariquito" is also used, but I think they both apply to men. (Then he looked alarmed, called my grandma over, and told me, "Promise your nana you won't use that name for your babies!" LOL!) He also mentioned that he knew of a couple of women named Marquita, like the original poster, but that he believed the names to be a feminine diminutive of Marcos , or Mark . It's just a guess, though.
Melissa
1
Sounds reasonable! I'm inclined to believe tu Abuelo over my Spanish diccionario...
rst
rst
1