"The road was lined with ancient trees festooned [fɛsˈtun] with Spanish moss." — Tayari Jones, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2025festoon
verb [fɛsˈtun]
Festoon usually means "to cover or decorate (something) with many small objects, pieces of paper, etc.," or "to appear here and there on the surface of." It can also mean "to hang decorative chains or strips on."
The noun festoon first appeared in the 1600s when it was used, as it still is today, to refer to decorative chains or strips hung between two points. English Jun 6, 2025, 6:54 AM cowpoke
// Her favorite winter potpourri [ˌpoʊpʊˈriː] includes cinnamon sticks, cloves, and orange peel.
// The book is a potpourri [ˌpoʊpʊˈriː] of stories about family, community, and food.potpourri [ˌpoʊpʊˈriː]
noun
Potpourri is a mixture of dried flower petals, leaves, and spices that is used to make a room smell pleasant. When used figuratively potpourri refers to a collection of various different things.
It was borrowed from French, where pot pourri translates directly as “putrid pot”; the French word was a translation of the Spanish olla podrida, which likewise means “rotten pot.” English Jan 2, 2025, 7:34 AM cowpoke
Enough of this palaver [pəˈlævər]. We have more important things to discuss.palaver
noun [pəˈlævər]
Palaver is an informal word that usually refers to unimportant or meaningless talk. It can also refer to misleading or deceptive speech, or to a conference or discussion. In British English the word is sometimes used as a synonym of fuss to refer to unnecessary excitement about something.
Though the word comes from Portuguese. the influence of Latin parabola on other tongues: the Spanish palabra, for instance, means "word," and the French parler means &... English Oct 23, 2024, 7:11 AM cowpoke
Despite the mediator's best efforts, the opposing sides in the dispute remained intransigent [ɪnˈtræn.sɪ.dʒənt].intransigent
adj [ɪnˈtræn.sɪ.dʒənt]
Intransigent is a formal word that describes a person who refuses to compromise or abandon an often extreme position or attitude. It can also describe a thing, such as a system or point of view, that shows the same kind of stubbornness.
from the Spanish adjective intransigente, meaning "uncompromising," and ultimately from the Latin verb transigere, "to come to an agreement." English Oct 21, 2024, 6:38 AM cowpoke
The work of engineer Eladio Dieste [eˈlaðjo ˈðjeste]: Church of Atlántida [aˈtlan.ti.ða] - Uruguay (speaks Spanish)
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1612The Church of Atlántida with its belfry and underground baptistery is located in Estación Atlántida, 45 km away from Montevideo. Inspired by Italian paleo-Christian and medieval religious architecture, the modernistic Church complex, inaugurated in 1960, represents a novel utilization of exposed and reinforced brick. Built on rectangular plan of one single hall, the church features distinctive undulating walls supporting a similarly undulating roof, composed of a sequence of reinforced brick Gau WHS Oct 14, 2024, 6:49 AM cowpoke
Risco Caido [ˈrisko kaˈiðo] and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria [ɡɾaŋ kaˈnaɾja] Cultural Landscape - Spain
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1578Located in a vast mountainous area in the centre of Gran Canaria, Risco Caído comprises cliffs, ravines and volcanic formations in a landscape of rich biodiversity. The landscape includes a large number of troglodyte settlements — habitats, granaries and cisterns — whose age is proof of the presence of a pre-Hispanic culture on the island, which has evolved in isolation, from the arrival of North African Berbers, around the beginning of our era, until the first Spanish settlers in the 15th centu WHS Oct 9, 2024, 6:58 AM cowpoke
San Antonio Missions - United States of America
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1466The site encompasses a group of five frontier mission complexes situated along a stretch of the San Antonio River basin in southern Texas, as well as a ranch located 37 kilometres to the south. It includes architectural and archaeological structures, farmlands, residencies, churches and granaries, as well as water distribution systems. The complexes were built by Franciscan missionaries in the 18<sup>th</sup> century and illustrate the Spanish Crown’s efforts to colonize, evangelize ... WHS Sep 22, 2024, 8:48 AM cowpoke
Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison - Barbados
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1376Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, an outstanding example of British colonial architecture consisting of a well-preserved old town built in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, which testifies to the spread of Great Britain's Atlantic colonial empire. The property also includes a nearby military garrison which consists of numerous historic buildings. With its serpentine urban lay-out the property testifies to a different approach to colonial town-planning compared to the Spanish and Dutch ... WHS Sep 9, 2024, 8:38 AM cowpoke
Heritage of Mercury. Almadén [almaˈðen] and Idrija [iˈdɾixa] - Slovenia, Spain
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1313The property includes the mining sites of Almadén (Spain), where mercury (quicksilver) has been extracted since antiquity, and Idrija (Slovenia), where mercury was first found in AD1490. The Spanish property includes buildings relating to its mining history, including Retamar Castle, religious buildings and traditional dwellings. The site in Idrija notably features mercury stores and infrastructure, as well as miners’ living quarters, and a miners’ theatre. The sit... WHS Aug 31, 2024, 8:40 AM cowpoke
Teide [ˈtei̯ðe] National Park - Spain
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1258Situated on the island of Tenerife, Teide National Park features the Teide-Pico Viejo stratovolcano that, at 3,718 m, is the highest peak on Spanish soil. Rising 7,500 m above the ocean floor, it is regarded as the world’s third-tallest volcanic structure and stands in a spectacular environment. The visual impact of the site is all the greater due to atmospheric conditions that create constantly changing textures and tones in the landscape and a ‘sea of clouds’ that forms a visually impressive b WHS Aug 24, 2024, 7:34 AM cowpoke
