Opinion

What does abanar mean?

Is it a peculiarity of Canarian Spanish the use of the suffix -ero to name fruit trees, such as, for example, naranjero, nisperero, cirgüelero or ciruelero, etc.?

Indeed, among the morphological characteristics of Canarian Spanish is the use of the suffix -ero in the names that designate fruit trees: naranjero, manzanero, nisperero, ciruelero, etc. This solution is similar to the one we find in Portuguese, with the only difference that in this language it is added to the root, also present in the names of the corresponding fruits, the feminine form of the suffix -eiro: laranjeira, ‛naranjero'; amendoeira, ‛almond tree'; nespereira, ‛medlar tree'; bananeira, ‛banana tree', etc. It is worth remembering in this regard that the Portuguese language, due to the important Portuguese presence in the Islands from the 15th century onwards, has exerted a notable influence on Canarian Spanish. In this sense, we could remember that in La Palma the feminine form of the suffix is still maintained in some cases in popular speech (naranjera, guayabera, ciruelera, manzanera).

However, the possibility of an autonomous development of this phenomenon in the Islands cannot be ruled out, given that in other forms of Spanish, such as Murcian, the formation of the names of fruit trees is similar to the Canarian one.

 

Our words

 

abanar

1. v. To make air, generally with the fan. U. t. c. prnl. Fan a little until the flame gains strength.

2. v. To make signs ostentatiously from afar by waving the hand or a handkerchief, to greet or call someone. She waving at me, waving at me, and I didn't know her.

3. v. Lz. and Fv.  To scare away insects, such as flies, with the hand or with anything else. He waved the flies away with his hand so they wouldn't land on the food.

abanador

1. m. Instrument to stir the fire. He earned his living making brooms and palm fans.

Information on the location of voices and meanings

Fv: Fuerteventura

GC: Gran Canaria

Go: La Gomera

Hi: El Hierro

LP: La Palma

Lz: Lanzarote

Occ: Western Islands (Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro)

Or: Eastern Islands (Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria)

Tf: Tenerife