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Came across the following in a book, in the midst of a description of masonry tools:
"Apparently the tradition of wearing mortarboards (with a tassel on top to signify a trail of mortar falling off the board) goes back to the graduation ceremonies of the middle ages, when masons were made masters of their trade."
Say what?! Graduation ceremonies for masons in the Middle Ages? I'm having a bit of trouble swallowing this, especially as the information I can find says either:
1. The academic "mortarboard" was named for its resemblance to the mason's mortarboard, but this usage originated in the mid-19th century, or
2. It's a corruption of the French word mortier.
Is one of these more generally accepted than the other?
Hmmm, I'm no expert on medieval masons or graduation ceremonies, but I'd say your suspicion is probably well-placed, dilettante.
I can, however, mention that no discussion of medieval graduation ceremonies would be complete without a thorough discussion of the word liripoop.
martha said:
I can, however, mention that no discussion of medieval graduation ceremonies would be complete without a thorough discussion of the word liripoop.
A great word! And it gets a rich series of hits at Google Books. For instance, perhaps you were wondering how to say "liripoop" in Swedish or Welsh?
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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