pomegranate

[Laurence Horn]

At 3:02 PM -0500 11/9/01, David Bergdahl wrote:
>"Eatable or not, the word hand-grenade comes from the word pomegranate. The
>Romans called the pomegranate pomum granatum, that is, apple with seeds. The
>French altered it to pomegrenate which English adopted as pomegranate. From
>the second element in this word, the French developed the term grenade, an
>apt name for a shell of explosive seeds. The soldier who threw these
>granades became a grenadier."
>
And, on a more peaceful note, grenadine, the base of some nice drinks
I remember fondly from cafés there.  More sweet than explosive.

larry