When did the Japanese word “tsunami” replace the English “tidal wave” and why?
Tsunami was the Japanese word for “large wave”, whereas “tidal wave” refers to a wave that is a result of tidal action. The gargantuan waves we know as tsunamis are usually caused by seismic action, but never by the tide. So the Japanese word was chosen as it was more correct. Tom Connell, Epping The media see more drama in the local name for natural disasters, like the Japanese “tsunami”. It’s the same with terms for wind storms, “typhoon” (Chinese) and “hurricane” (Caribbean). Morris Graham, Georgetown When and why did Christian clergy become clean-shaven? Even in very early days, shaving was seen as “clean”, though over the centuries, Christian priests have frequently changed their views. When Gregory IX was Pope (13th century), it was decreed the “length of hair is symbolical of the multitude of sins. Hence we shave our beards that we may seem purified by innocence and humility and that we may be like the angels who remain always in the bloom of youth.” (Rationale II, lib. XXXII) W
