Interesting homonym

Question

Langosta means lobster, but also means locust, which I found interesting.

Answer 1

But even more interesting is that both lobster and locust come from Latin "locusta" through two different routes (which is why both words look slightly different), which is where "langosta" comes from. The Latin term was originally used for lobsters and other arthropods like grasshoppers and locusts, which explains why in Spanish "langosta" still refers to two different animals.

I still remember when I wanted to buy a "langosta" here in England, and I said "lobster", like my dictionary said. What I got in the end was a bogavante, which is also called "lobster". In Spain, at least, we regard them as different animals: different price, different flavour, different colour...

Muy interesante. Gracias. Tu historia es lleno de informacion. Me ecantan los picturas de los langostas tambien. - OVNI, Aug 6, 2011

Majo! love to learn something new, gracias lazarus - foxluv, Aug 6, 2011

Answer 2

Yes, it is interesting.

But, is it really a homonym?

In English or Spanish?

Answer 3

In Spanish, or at least that is what I discovered in my Spanish dictionary.

Excellent. And this reminds me of a question...why is it that you are posting in English? :) - chileno, Aug 6, 2011

Answer 4

Well...if you really look at a lobster they are pretty much bugs. Hard shell on the outside. Lots of legs. Antennae looking thingies. Tasty protein on the inside. Okay much of the world doesn't eat land bugs but in some parts they do and they find them to be tasty.

Así es que no me sorprende que las dos palabras tienen orígenes en común.

Answer 5

Langosta= spiny, pacific, or rock lobster (They have many names): no claws, distinct tail and antennas.

Bogavante= Known for claws like the maine lobster; however, it is found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Black Sea and and can blue and different tones of red.

See below link for the differences between Longosta and Bogavante below:

¡Haga Click!

@angkag - jphip, May 4, 2014

Answer 6

We can try with more homonym, for example,

Banco

Banco can means:

1. Bank: Necesito ir al banco a sacar dinero
2. Bench: Me gusta sentarme en los bancos del parque y mirar los árboles.
3. Shoal: Ayer mientras nadaba ví un banco de peces.

You can find useful Spanish tips and interesting articles in Spanish about culture, parties and places in my website, visit it!

Que paso con "cardumen" - chileno, May 3, 2014

Answer 7

I'm trying to understand the difference between bogavante and langosta, and the google images for both look much the same to me. The picture above is seen in the search for "langosta" interestingly (and we always trust the internet of course...). Can anyone advise ? thanks in advance