For your collective amuse() abuse() dismiss() I humbly submit:
"duran" (or derivatives)
Aside from conjuring images of "reflex", "rio", and maybe "Barbarella"
for a select few, the word occurs in some interesting contexts. It means
little aside from it being a last name, a city name, and bearing
resemblence to some neat stuff. One bummer is the likeness to
AMD's "Duron". *shrug*
Relations are up to you to draw, so read between the lines. Just don't ask
why I looked it all up. It is, in fact, a totally unrelated story which
has kept me up all night. Connectionist pride.
Similar to:
1. Latin "dura" (Italian, Spanish also): hard, solid, durable. Also
Latin "durare", "last to endure".
2. "Dura the circle", where Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image near
Babylon (Daniel 3:1). Still exists, and still bears the ancient name,
which is something. The city is "Dura" in Syria, rebuilt many times
over a thousand years, as a military colony by the Seleucids, a
caravan city around 100 BC by the Parthians, and a frontier fort in
AD 165 by the Romans. Home of the only extant Christian community
meeting or assembly house from the 3rd century, earliest example of
Christian community religious gathering.
3. "Radiodurans", a form of "pseudomonas" bacterium (pseudomonas are
able to use virtually any organic molecule as a source of carbon and
of energy). Radiodurans are an "extreme environment" lifeform,
thriving at the cores of swimming-pool nuclear reactors (to the
annoyance of plant physicists). This one is long and interesting.
4. The prefix "deru-", "solid, firm, steadfast". Has variants in Old
English, Old Norse, and Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit.
Names ("Duran"):
1. (b. 1350) Jewish philosopher, linguist, and satirist, compelled to
Christianity and later resumed Judaic worship. Known for his
scholarly writings on Hebrew grammar.
2. (b. 1361) First Spanish Jewish rabbi to be paid a regular salary by
the community. Reduced Thirteen Articles of Faith of Moses Maimonides
to three essential dogmas. He was a synergist. ;-)
