Folk etymology – also known as (generative) popular etymology , analogical reformation , (morphological) reanalysis and etymological reinterpretation – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more familiar one through popular usage. The form or the meaning of an archaic, foreign, or otherwise unfamiliar word is reinterpreted as resembling more familiar words or morphemes .
73-587: The Halen Estate ( Siedlung Halen ) is a housing development near Berne, Switzerland . It was designed and built by the Atelier 5 architectural partnership from 1957 to 1961. Located in a wooded area north of the city, the development is an important example of 20th century Modernist architecture ( Structuralism ), and as such is listed on the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites . Halen Estate comprises 81 privately owned houses arranged in three terraces. Built on
146-475: A chestnut horse ' . This was an allusion to a fourteenth-century French morality poem, Roman de Fauvel , about a chestnut-coloured horse who corrupts men through duplicity. The phrase was reanalyzed in early Modern English by comparison to favour as early as 1510. Words need not completely disappear before their compounds are reanalyzed. The word shamefaced was originally shamefast . The original meaning of fast 'fixed in place' still exists, as in
219-480: A corn on the foot. The word comes from Old English ang- + nægel ' anguished nail, compressed spike ' , but the spelling and pronunciation were affected by folk etymology in the seventeenth century or earlier. Thereafter, the word came to be used for a tag of skin or torn cuticle near a fingernail or toenail. Several words in Medieval Latin were subject to folk etymology. For example,
292-573: A change in the form or meaning. To disambiguate the usage of the term "folk/popular etymology", Ghil'ad Zuckermann proposes a clear-cut distinction between the derivational-only popular etymology (DOPE) and the generative popular etymology (GPE): the DOPE refers to a popular false etymology involving no neologization , and the GPE refers to neologization generated by a popular false etymology. Examples of words created or changed through folk etymology include
365-572: A daily maximum temperature of 24.3 °C (75.7 °F). The highest temperature recorded at Bern / Zollikofen is 37.0 °C (98.6 °F), recorded in August 2003 . On average, a temperature of 25 °C (77 °F) or above is recorded 40.7 days per year, and 6 days per year with a temperature of 30 °C (86 °F) or above at Zollikofen, and the warmest day reaches an average of 32.1 °C (89.8 °F). There are 103.7 days of air frost, and 22.3 ice days per year at Bern (Zollikofen) for
438-416: A hillside, the terraces are reminiscent of steps. The development, quite dense , is also home to a swimming pool and other communal amenities. Most of the buildings are large 3,80m and presents three different levels organized in different cases. The southern part has a ground floor with garden and one bedroom, on the mid level (looking to the common area of the main street) there is the living area, then there
511-597: A major river of the Swiss Plateau . Although fortified settlements were established since antiquity, the medieval city proper was founded by the Zähringer ruling family, probably in 1191 by Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen . Bern was made a free imperial city in 1218 and, in 1353, it joined the Swiss Confederacy , becoming one of its eight early cantons. Since then, Bern became a large city-state and
584-480: A manner appropriate to that perceived origin. This popular etymologizing has had a powerful influence on the forms which words take. Examples in English include crayfish or crawfish , which are not historically related to fish but come from Middle English crevis , cognate with French écrevisse . Likewise chaise lounge , from the original French chaise longue ("long chair"), has come to be associated with
657-611: A member of the Municipal Council. Contrary to most other municipalities, the executive government in Bern is selected by means of a system of Proporz . The mayor is elected as such as well by public election while the heads of the other directorates are assigned by the collegiate. The executive body holds its meetings in the Erlacherhof , built by architect Albrecht Stürler after 1747. As of 2021 , Bern's Municipal Council
730-530: A prominent actor of Swiss history by pursuing a policy of sovereign territorial expansion. Since the 15th century, the city was progressively rebuilt and acquired its current characteristics. Bern was made the Federal City in 1848. From about 5,000 inhabitants in the 15th century, the city passed the 100,000 mark in the 1920s. The etymology of the name "Bern" is uncertain. According to the local legend, based on folk etymology , Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen ,
803-595: A settlement on the site of today's city centre prior to the 12th century has been found so far. In antiquity, a Celtic oppidum stood on the Engehalbinsel (peninsula) north of Bern, fortified since the second century BC (late La Tène period ), thought to be one of the 12 oppida of the Helvetii mentioned by Caesar . During the Roman era , a Gallo-Roman vicus was on the same site. The Bern zinc tablet has
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#1732783033510876-437: A similar manner include belfry (from berfrey ) by association with bell , female (from femelle ) by male , and penthouse (from apentis ) by house . The variant spelling of licorice as liquorice comes from the supposition that it has something to do with liquid. Anglo-Norman licoris (influenced by licor ' liquor ' ) and Late Latin liquirītia were respelled for similar reasons, though
949-475: A word or other form becomes obsolete, words or phrases containing the obsolete portion may be reanalyzed and changed. Some compound words from Old English were reanalyzed in Middle or Modern English when one of the constituent words fell out of use. Examples include bridegroom from Old English brydguma ' bride-man ' . The word gome ' man ' from Old English guma fell out of use during
1022-496: Is hangmat . It was borrowed from Spanish hamaca (ultimately from Arawak amàca ) and altered by comparison with hangen and mat ' hanging mat ' . German Hängematte shares this folk etymology. Islambol , a folk etymology meaning 'Islam abounding', is one of the names of Istanbul used after the Ottoman conquest of 1453. An example from Persian is the word شطرنج shatranj 'chess', which
1095-403: Is State Chronicler ( Staatsschreiber ) since 2008. He has been elected by the collegiate. The Stadtrat of Bern for the mandate period of 2021–2024: The City Council (de: Stadtrat , fr: Conseil de ville ) holds legislative power . It is made up of 80 members, with elections held every four years. The City Council decrees regulations and by-laws that are executed by the Municipal Council and
1168-426: Is a productive process in historical linguistics , language change , and social interaction . Reanalysis of a word's history or original form can affect its spelling, pronunciation, or meaning. This is frequently seen in relation to loanwords or words that have become archaic or obsolete. Folk/popular etymology may also refer to a popular false belief about the etymology of a word or phrase that does not lead to
1241-585: Is also the capital of the canton of Bern , the second-most populous of Switzerland's cantons . The official language is German , but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect, Bernese German . In 1983, the historic old town (in German : Altstadt ) in the centre of Bern became a UNESCO World Heritage Site . It is notably surrounded by the Aare ,
1314-695: Is derived from the Sanskrit चतुरङ्ग chatur-anga ("four-army [game]"; 2nd century BCE), and after losing the u to syncope , became چترنگ chatrang in Middle Persian (6th century CE). Today it is sometimes factorized as sad ' hundred ' + ranj ' worry, mood ' , or ' a hundred worries ' . Some Indonesian feminists discourage usage of the term wanita ('woman') and replacing it with perempuan , since wanita itself has misogynistic roots. First, in Javanese , wanita
1387-406: Is devoted to transport infrastructure. Power and water infrastructure, as well as other special developed areas, made up 1.2% of the city, while another 6.5% consists of parks, green belts, and sports fields. Of Bern's total land area, 32.8% is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 13.3% is used for growing crops and 4.4% is designated to be used as pasture. Local rivers and streams provide all
1460-520: Is largely medieval and has been recognised by UNESCO as a Cultural World Heritage Site . Perhaps its most famous sight is the Zytglogge (Bernese German for "Time Bell"), an elaborate medieval clock tower with moving puppets. It also has an impressive 15th century Gothic cathedral, the Münster , and a 15th-century town hall. Thanks to 6 kilometres (4 miles) of arcades, the old town boasts one of
1533-454: Is made up of two representatives of the SP ( Social Democratic Party ), and one each of CVP ( Christian Democratic Party ), GFL ( Grüne Freie Liste a.k.a. Green Free List, who is the newly elected mayor since 2017), and GB ( Green Alliance of Bern ), giving the left parties a very strong majority of four out of five seats. The last regular election was held on 29 November 2020. Dr. Jürg Wichtermann
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#17327830335101606-468: Is the de facto capital of Switzerland , referred to as the " federal city ". With a population of about 133,000 (as of 2022 ), Bern is the fifth-most populous city in Switzerland, behind Zürich , Geneva , Basel and Lausanne . The Bern agglomeration, which includes 36 municipalities, had a population of 406,900 in 2014. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000. Bern
1679-444: Is the third level where again we find one bedroom and services. 46°58′21.49″N 7°24′47.25″E / 46.9726361°N 7.4131250°E / 46.9726361; 7.4131250 This article about a Swiss building or structure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Berne, Switzerland Bern ( Swiss Standard German: [bɛrn] ), or Berne ( French: [bɛʁn] ),
1752-548: Is today the canton of Bern and the canton of Vaud . The city grew out towards the west of the boundaries of the peninsula formed by the river Aare . The Zytglogge tower marked the western boundary of the city from 1191 until 1256, when the Käfigturm took over this role until 1345. It was succeeded by the Christoffelturm (formerly located closer to the site of the modern-day railway station) until 1622. During
1825-453: Is uncertain. By the late Middle Ages its meaning was extended to the holder of a university degree inferior to master or doctor. This was later re-spelled baccalaureus , probably reflecting a false derivation from bacca laurea ' laurel berry ' , alluding to the possible laurel crown of a poet or conqueror. In the fourteenth or fifteenth century, French scholars began to spell the verb savoir ' to know ' as sçavoir on
1898-462: Is unknown, but presumably humorous, since the dish contains no rabbit. In 1785 Francis Grose suggested in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue that the dish is "a Welch rare bit", though the word rarebit was not common prior to Grose's dictionary. Both versions of the name are in current use; individuals sometimes express strong opinions concerning which version is correct. When
1971-467: Is used for agricultural purposes, while 17.21 km (6.64 sq mi) or 33.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 23.76 km (9.17 sq mi) or 46.0% is settled (buildings or roads), 1.08 km (0.42 sq mi) or 2.1% is either rivers or lakes, and 0.14 km (0.054 sq mi) or 0.3% is unproductive land. Of the developed area of Bern, 3.1% consists of industrial buildings, 22.3% housing and other buildings, and 12.9%
2044-746: The 2015 federal election for the Swiss National Council the most popular party was the PS which received 34.3% of the vote. The next five most popular parties were the Green Party (17.4%), the UDC (12.4%), and the FDP/PLR (9.9%), glp/pvl (9.4%), and the BDP/PBD (7.0%). In the federal election, a total of 48,556 voters were cast, and the voter turnout was 56.0%. The Municipal Council of
2117-404: The 2019 federal election for the Swiss National Council the most popular party was the PS which received 28.7% (-5.6) of the vote. The next five most popular parties were the Green Party (25.2%, +7.9), the pvl (13.5%, +4.1), the UDC (9.5%, -2.9), PLR (4.2%, -2.8), and the BDP/PBD (7.0%). In the federal election a total of 49,030 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 56%. In
2190-513: The Bern zinc tablet in the 1980s, it is now more common to assume that the city was named after a pre-existing toponym of Celtic origin, possibly *berna "cleft". The bear was the heraldic animal of the seal and coat of arms of Bern from at least the 1220s. The earliest reference to the keeping of live bears in the Bärengraben dates to the 1440s. No archaeological evidence that indicates
2263-594: The Catholic Church . Of the rest of the population, there were 1,874 members of an Orthodox church (or about 1.46% of the population), there were 229 persons (or about 0.18% of the population) who belonged to the Christ Catholic Church , and there were 5,531 persons (or about 4.30% of the population) who belonged to another Christian religion. There were 324 persons (or about 0.25% of the population) who were Jewish , and 4,907 (or about 3.81% of
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2336-1194: The Stadthaus (Town Hall). The last regular election of the City Council was held on 29 November 2020 for the mandate period ( German : Legislatur , French : la législature ) from 2021 to 2024. The City Council consist of 23 (-1) members of the Social Democratic Party (SP/PS) including two seats by the junior party JUSO , 11 (+3) Green Liberal Party (glp/pvl) including two member of its junior party jglp , 10 (+1) Green Alliance of Bern (GB) , 8 (-1) The Liberals (FDP/PLR) including one seat by its junior partner JF / DL , 7 (-2) Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) , 7 (-1) Grüne Freie Liste (GFL) (Green Free List), 3 (+1) Junge Alternative (JA!) (or Young Alternatives), 3 (+1) Alternative Linke Bern (AL) , 2 (-1) Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD) , 2 (-) Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC) , 2 (-) Evangelical People's Party (EVP/PEV) , 1 (-) Swiss Party of Labour (PdA) , and 1 Grüne alternative Partei (GaP) (or Green alternative Party). In
2409-539: The Thirty Years' War , two new fortifications – the so-called big and small Schanze (entrenchments) – were built to protect the whole area of the peninsula. After a major blaze in 1405, the city's original wooden buildings were gradually replaced by half-timbered houses, and subsequently the sandstone buildings which came to be characteristic for the Old Town. Despite waves of pestilence that hit Europe in
2482-475: The executive government of the City of Bern and operates as a collegiate authority . It is composed of five councillors ( German : Gemeinderat/-rätin , French : conseiller/conseillère municipal(e) ), each presiding over a directorate (de: Direktion , fr: direction ) comprising several departments and bureaus. The president of the executive department acts as mayor (de: Stadtpräsident , fr: Le Maire ). In
2555-616: The national parliament , government and part of the federal administration, can also be visited. Albert Einstein lived in a flat at the Kramgasse 49, the site of the Einsteinhaus , from 1903 to 1905, the year in which the Annus Mirabilis papers were published. Folk etymology The term folk etymology is a loan translation from German Volksetymologie , coined by Ernst Förstemann in 1852. Folk etymology
2628-450: The socialist First and Second Internationals were held in Bern, particularly during World War I when Switzerland was neutral; see Bern International . The city's population rose from about 5,000 in the 15th century to about 12,000 by 1800 and to above 60,000 by 1900, passing the 100,000 mark during the 1920s. Population peaked during the 1960s at 165,000 and has since decreased slightly, to below 130,000 by 2000. As of September 2017,
2701-603: The 14th century, the city continued to grow, mainly due to immigration from the surrounding countryside. During the 18th century, the city of Bern was at one point the largest shareholder in the South Sea Company , a British joint-stock company which was involved in the Atlantic slave trade . From 1689 to 3 March 1798 in the town was printed, in French , the biweekly newspaper Gazette de Berne , which reflected
2774-415: The English dialectal form sparrowgrass , originally from Greek ἀσπάραγος (" asparagus ") remade by analogy to the more familiar words sparrow and grass . When the alteration of an unfamiliar word is limited to a single person, it is known as an eggcorn . The technical term "folk etymology" refers to a change in the form of a word caused by erroneous popular suppositions about its etymology . Until
2847-403: The academic development of comparative linguistics and description of laws underlying sound changes , the derivation of a word was mostly guess-work. Speculation about the original form of words in turn feeds back into the development of the word and thus becomes a part of a new etymology. Believing a word to have a certain origin, people begin to pronounce, spell, or otherwise use the word in
2920-425: The administration. The delegates are selected by means of a system of proportional representation . The sessions of the City Council are public. Unlike members of the Municipal Council, members of the City Council are not politicians by profession, and they are paid a fee based on their attendance. Any resident of Bern allowed to vote can be elected as a member of the City Council. The parliament holds its meetings in
2993-558: The city of Bern decided against having twinned cities except for a temporary (during the UEFA Euro 2008 ) cooperation with the Austrian city Salzburg . Bern has a population (as of December 2020 ) of 134,794. About 34% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the 10 years between 2000 and 2010, the population changed at a rate of 0.6%. Migration accounted for 1.3%, while births and deaths accounted for −2.1%. Most of
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3066-469: The compound becomes obsolete. There are many examples of words borrowed from foreign languages, and subsequently changed by folk etymology. The spelling of many borrowed words reflects folk etymology. For example, andiron borrowed from Old French was variously spelled aundyre or aundiren in Middle English, but was altered by association with iron . Other Old French loans altered in
3139-632: The compounded words steadfast and colorfast , but by itself mainly in frozen expressions such as stuck fast , hold fast , and play fast and loose . The songbird wheatear or white-ear is a back-formation from Middle English whit-ers ' white arse ' , referring to the prominent white rump found in most species. Although both white and arse are common in Modern English, the folk etymology may be euphemism . Reanalysis of archaic or obsolete forms can lead to changes in meaning as well. The original meaning of hangnail referred to
3212-413: The construction rate of new housing units was 1.2 new units per 1000 residents. As of 2003 the average price to rent an average apartment in Bern was 1108.92 Swiss francs (CHF) per month (US$ 890, £500, €710 approx. exchange rate from 2003). The average rate for a one-room apartment was 619.82 CHF (US$ 500, £280, €400), a two-room apartment was about 879.36 CHF (US$ 700, £400, €560), a three-room apartment
3285-524: The economic powerhouse of Zürich, while Catholic and conservative Lucerne had been part of the Sonderbund during the war a year before. In addition, Bern had a more central location and was supported by the French-speaking cantons due to proximity to them. However, the constitution doesn't define Bern as official capital of Switzerland, but as the seat of government. A number of congresses of
3358-467: The false belief it was derived from Latin scire ' to know ' . In fact it comes from sapere ' to be wise ' . The Italian word liocorno , meaning 'unicorn' derives from 13th-century lunicorno ( lo 'the' + unicorno 'unicorn'). Folk etymology based on lione 'lion' altered the spelling and pronunciation. Dialectal liofante 'elephant' was likewise altered from elefante by association with lione . The Dutch word for ' hammock '
3431-535: The founder of the city of Bern, vowed to name the city after the first animal he met on the hunt, and this turned out to be a bear. It has long been considered likely that the city was named after the Italian city of Verona , which at the time was known as Bern in Middle High German . The city was sometimes referred to as Bern im Üechtland to distinguish it from Verona. As a result of the finding of
3504-579: The largest canton of the Confederacy as it stood during the Restoration and until the secession of the canton of Jura in 1979. On 28 November 1848, a majority of the new Swiss Federal Assembly deputies chose Bern as the Federal City (seat of the government) of the newly created Swiss federal state , ahead of Zürich and Lucerne . Bern was chosen as not to concentrate all the power in
3577-477: The letter s is the result of comparison with the synonym isle from Old French and ultimately as a Latinist borrowing of insula , though the Old French and Old English words are not historically related. In a similar way, the spelling of wormwood was likely affected by comparison with wood . The phrase curry favour , meaning to flatter, comes from Middle English curry favel ' groom
3650-650: The longest covered shopping promenades in Europe. Since the 16th century, the city has had a bear pit, the Bärengraben , at the far end of the Nydeggbrücke to house its heraldic animals. The four bears are now kept in an open-air enclosure nearby, and two other young bears, a present by the Russian president, are kept in Dählhölzli zoo. The Federal Palace ( Bundeshaus ), built from 1857 to 1902, which houses
3723-415: The mandate period 2021–2024 ( Legislatur ) the Municipal Council is presided by Stadtpräsident Alec von Graffenried . Departmental tasks, coordination measures and implementation of laws decreed by the City Council are carried by the Municipal Council. The regular election of the Municipal Council by any inhabitant valid to vote is held every four years. Any resident of Bern allowed to vote can be elected as
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#17327830335103796-465: The most recent ice age . The two mountains closest to Bern are Gurten with a height of 864 m (2,835 ft) and Bantiger with a height of 947 m (3,107 ft). The site of the old observatory in Bern is the point of origin of the CH1903 coordinate system at 46°57′08.66″N 7°26′22.50″E / 46.9524056°N 7.4395833°E / 46.9524056; 7.4395833 . The city
3869-545: The municipality. There were 49,873 married individuals, 9,345 widows or widowers and 9,468 individuals who are divorced. As of 2000 , there were 67,115 private households in the municipality, and an average of 1.8 persons per household. There were 34,981 households that consist of only one person and 1,592 households with five or more people. In 2000 , a total of 65,538 apartments (90.6% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 5,352 apartments (7.4%) were seasonally occupied and 1,444 apartments (2.0%) were empty. As of 2009 ,
3942-678: The name Brenodor ("dwelling of Breno"). In the Early Middle Ages, a settlement in Bümpliz , now a city district of Bern, was some 4 km (2 mi) from the medieval city. The medieval city is a foundation of the Zähringer ruling family, which rose to power in Upper Burgundy in the 12th century. According to 14th-century historiography ( Cronica de Berno , 1309), Bern was founded in 1191 by Berthold V, Duke of Zähringen . In 1218, after Berthold died without an heir, Bern
4015-444: The name comes from the fact that the trees bloom in spring, a time when circuit-riding preachers resume church services or when funeral services are carried out for people who died during the winter. A seemingly plausible but no less speculative etymology accounts for the form of Welsh rarebit , a dish made of cheese and toasted bread. The earliest known reference to the dish in 1725 called it Welsh rabbit . The origin of that name
4088-658: The opinions of Bern, usually hostile to the politics of Pre-revolutionary France . Bern was occupied by French troops in 1798 during the French Revolutionary Wars , when it was stripped of parts of its territories. It regained control of the Bernese Oberland in 1802, and following the Congress of Vienna of 1814, it newly acquired the Bernese Jura . At this time, it once again became
4161-411: The orange tree ' , with the initial ⟨n⟩ of naranj understood as part of the article . Rebracketing in the opposite direction saw the Middle English a napron become an apron . In back-formation, a new word is created by removing elements from an existing word that are interpreted as affixes . For example, Italian pronuncia ' pronunciation, accent ' is derived from
4234-404: The period of 1981–2010, as well as 14.1 days of snowfall, 36.7 days of snow cover per year and the average amount of snow measured per year is 52.6 centimetres (20.7 in). On average, January is the coldest month, with a daily mean temperature of −0.4 °C (31.3 °F), and a daily minimum temperature of −3.6 °C (25.5 °F). The lowest temperature ever recorded at Bern (Zollikofen)
4307-468: The population (as of 2000 ) speaks German (104,465 or 81.2%) as their first language, Italian is the second most common (5,062 or 3.9%) and French is the third (4,671 or 3.6%). There are 171 people who speak Romansh . As of 2008 , the population was 47.5% male and 52.5% female. The population was made up of 44,032 Swiss men (35.4% of the population) and 15,092 (12.1%) non-Swiss men. There were 51,531 Swiss women (41.4%) and 13,726 (11.0%) non-Swiss women. Of
4380-535: The population in the municipality, 39,008 or about 30.3% were born in Bern and lived there in 2000. There were 27,573 or 21.4% who were born in the same canton, while 25,818 or 20.1% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 27,812 or 21.6% were born outside of Switzerland. As of 2000 , children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 15.1% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 65% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 19.9%. As of 2000 , there were 59,948 people who were single and never married in
4453-489: The population) who were Muslim . There were 629 persons who were Buddhist , 1,430 persons who were Hindu and 177 persons who belonged to another religion. 16,363 (or about 12.72% of the population) belonged to no religion, are agnostic or atheist , and 7,855 persons (or about 6.11% of the population) did not answer the question. On 14 December 2014 the Haus der Religionen was inaugurated. The structure of Bern's city centre
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#17327830335104526-524: The resident population stood at 142,349, of which 100,000 were Swiss citizens and 42,349 (31%) resident foreigners. A further estimated 350,000 people live in the immediate urban agglomeration . Bern lies on the Swiss plateau in the canton of Bern, slightly west of the centre of Switzerland and 20 km (12 mi) north of the Bernese Alps . The countryside around Bern was formed by glaciers during
4599-402: The sixteenth century and the compound was eventually reanalyzed with the Modern English word groom ' male servant ' . A similar reanalysis caused sandblind , from Old English sāmblind ' half-blind ' with a once-common prefix sām- ' semi- ' , to be respelled as though it is related to sand . The word island derives from Old English igland . The modern spelling with
4672-534: The term an additional meaning of "hopeless venture". Sometimes imaginative stories are created to account for the link between a borrowed word and its popularly assumed sources. The names of the serviceberry , service tree , and related plants, for instance, come from the Latin name sorbus . The plants were called syrfe in Old English, which eventually became service . Fanciful stories suggest that
4745-503: The ultimate origin of all three is Ancient Greek γλυκύρριζα glucúrrhiza ' sweet root ' . Reanalysis of loan words can affect their spelling, pronunciation, or meaning. The word cockroach , for example, was borrowed from Spanish cucaracha but was assimilated to the existing English words cock and roach . The phrase forlorn hope originally meant "storming party, body of skirmishers" from Dutch verloren hoop "lost troop". But confusion with English hope has given
4818-403: The verb pronunciare ' to pronounce, to utter ' and English edit derives from editor . Some cases of back-formation are based on folk etymology. In linguistic change caused by folk etymology, the form of a word changes so that it better matches its popular rationalisation. Typically this happens either to unanalysable foreign words or to compounds where the word underlying one part of
4891-512: The water in the municipality. According to the Köppen Climate Classification , Bern has an oceanic climate ( Cfb ) closely bordering on a humid continental climate ( Dfb ). The closest weather station near Bern is located in the municipality of Zollikofen , about 5 kilometres (3 mi) north of the city centre. The warmest month for Bern is July, with a daily mean temperature of 18.3 °C (64.9 °F), and
4964-405: The word widerdonum meaning 'reward' was borrowed from Old High German widarlōn ' repayment of a loan ' . The l → d alteration is due to confusion with Latin donum ' gift ' . Similarly, the word baceler or bacheler (related to modern English bachelor ) referred to a junior knight. It is attested from the eleventh century, though its ultimate origin
5037-457: The word lounge . Other types of language change caused by reanalysis of the structure of a word include rebracketing and back-formation . In rebracketing, users of the language change, misinterpret, or reinterpret the location of a boundary between words or morphemes . For example, the Old French word orenge ' orange tree ' comes from Arabic النَّرَنْج an-naranj '
5110-529: Was about 1040.54 CHF (US$ 830, £470, €670) and a six or more room apartment cost an average of 2094.80 CHF (US$ 1680, £940, €1340). The average apartment price in Bern was 99.4% of the national average of 1116 CHF. The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2010 , was 0.45%. The historical population is given in the following chart: From the 2000 census , 60,455 or 47.0% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church , while 31,510 or 24.5% were members of
5183-546: Was made a free imperial city by the Goldene Handfeste of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II . In 1353, Bern joined the Swiss Confederacy , becoming the eighth canton of the formative period of 1353 to 1481. Bern invaded and conquered Aargau in 1415 and Vaud in 1536, as well as other smaller territories, thereby becoming the largest city-state north of the Alps . By the 18th century, it comprised most of what
5256-598: Was originally built on a hilly peninsula surrounded by the river Aare , but outgrew natural boundaries by the 19th century. A number of bridges have been built to allow the city to expand beyond the Aare. Bern is built on very uneven ground. An elevation difference of up to 60 metres exists between the inner city districts on the Aare ( Matte , Marzili ) and the higher ones (Kirchenfeld, Länggasse). Bern has an area, as of 2013 , of 51.62 km (19.93 sq mi). Of this area, 9.42 km (3.64 sq mi) or 18.2%
5329-471: Was −23.0 °C (−9.4 °F), recorded in February 1929, and typically the coldest temperature of the year reaches an average of −12.8 °C (9.0 °F) for the period of 1981–2010. The municipality is administratively subdivided into six districts ( Stadtteile ), each of which consists of several quarters ( Quartiere ). The Municipal Council (de: Gemeinderat , fr: conseil municipal ) constitutes
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