Peridot Loot

[Labyrrinth]

Originally Posted by Striiker [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

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As a side note, I never knew the correct pronunciation for peridot. I always thought of it as peri (like periscope) - dot (like polkadot). It's actually pronounced peri (like periscope) - doe (like bread dough). In my head though, I still think of it ending with a dot (hard to undo so many years of thinking like this) :-)

Both pronunciations are correct [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=peridot

http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-b...02.wav=peridot

And just because it's interesting:
Peridot's history begins on a small desert island 50 miles or so off the southeast coast of Egypt in the Red Sea. The name of the island has changed many times over recorded history. Ancient literature calls the island Topazion, sometimes referred to as Topazos, but it now goes by two names-- its most recent label, Zabargad, and its immediate past name of St. John's. "Zabargad" is the Arabic word for peridot, although the English word "peridot" is said to have com from "Faridat," the Arabic word for gem. Coming from "faridat" could account for the American Southwest's pronunciation of peridot as "PEAR-a-dot," instead of the more common pronunciation (taken from the French), "PEAR-a-doe."