• magnetosphere@fedia.io
      0·
      3 months ago

      He should show her this. The fact that it means “flowers” in Swahili might help. It won’t solve the trust issues, but it’s better than nothing.

      • GBU_28@lemm.eeEnglish
        0·
        3 months ago

        I mean if they aren’t Swahili why would they pick something randomly from that language?

        • magnetosphere@fedia.io
          0·
          3 months ago

          The same reason a lot of people do: because it sounds nice. Plus, maybe flowers were what the cicada was named after. When someone discovers a species, they usually get a decent amount of leeway when naming it.

          • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
            0·
            3 months ago

            honestly it’s not just a decent amount of leeway, it’s basically free game so long as you’re not outright offensive.

            There’s a gene called “sonic hedgehog”, and many other organisms with names that are specifically meant to just be funny and absurd.