Thursday, August 9, 2012

Cyprine


Usually I try to post a name that could be a sibling to the last name I wrote about, but I just came across an old love of mine and had to share. Cyprine (sip-reen/sigh-preen) is a name you'll likely only see once in your life. Reading it now may be that single time. Cyprine is another name for/variety of the gem Vesuvianite that ranges from light/exotic blue to light smoky purple. Vesuvianite comes from Mount Vesuvius, known for destroying Pompeii, which had cypress trees, and Cyprine itself means "of the cypress." So there is a nice little connection, and an alternative for those who like (or dislike) Cypress, Cyprian and Cypriana. Two other forms are Cypria and Cyprina (sip-ree-na/sigh-pree-na) since Cyprine is the French form. Nerdy fact: Cyprine was a minor Sailor Moon character. Naoko Takeuchi was very fond of gem and mineral names, as well as mythology and the planets. She really loved to research to find the perfect names for her characters.


Update: Ok, so I guess the name Cyprina is not as rare as I thought. Apparently it is the name of a beach in Florida. On the plus side, it's a beautiful beach on the ocean, which lends the name a mermaid-like aura.

2 comments:

  1. Woah, I've heard Cyprus before but Cyprine is an a name of even more intrigue. Great profile.

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  2. Cyprina (nn Pri or Priya) is one I'm actually considering for a future kid. It goes against a few of my rules, but it's one of my first loves. (And look at those pictures! Come on!) I think most people would think it's weird or "kre8tiv" but I would love to explain to them the etymology. It's very unusual, but I think it beats MacKaydin or Cayman any day.

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