Home
Piibri (Piiber)
Alternative name for the beaver from the German Biber, which seems to have gradually lost ground to the Russian loan Бобры, (bobr), switching the bastard ‘b’ for the comfortable ‘k’ to produce kobras, or harilik kobras, the European beaver, Castor fiber, native to Estonia. One of the streets named after the nearby Raku Sovhoos (see, also Sinirebase).
Sinirebase (Sinirebane)
Blue fox, aka polaarrebane, arctic, or jäärebane, ice fox, Vulpes lagopus. Next to its cousin, the Hõberebase. One of the streets named after the nearby Raku Sovhoos.
Piibelehe (Piibeleht)
Lit. pipe-leaf, alternative name for Maikellukese, lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, etymology uncertain: piip:piibu prob. from Swed. pipa (pipe or whistle, the pipe being the whitish stem of a clay pipe, which could resemble one of its rhizomes), but the association of leht:lehe tacked onto piip:piibu suggests the whistling noise made by tensing two leaves, like blades of grass, between the fingers and blowing. In English, the tip of the rhizome (for some, the rhizome itself or even the entire plant) is called a ‘pip’, so we’re dealing with a much time-bemisted word here.
