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From: punshonj@crl.aecl.ca (John Punshon)
Subject: Re: Q:mensa -cafeteria? possible etymology
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References: <DA4t59.HFC@actcom.co.il> <3rmsu1$bs4@ns.mcs.kent.edu>
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 1995 20:18:41 GMT
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Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu sci.lang:40192 sci.lang.translation:2280

In article <3rmsu1$bs4@ns.mcs.kent.edu>, rothstei@goat.mcs.kent.edu (Michael Rothstein) says:
>
>In article <DA4t59.HFC@actcom.co.il> bruck@actcom.co.il (Uri Bruck) writes:
>>
>>
>>I recently stumbled something curious.
>>Apparently I had used the word 'mensa' in the sense of a university
>>cafeteria, which is the sense in which it is used in Israel.
>>Ms. Virginia Krenn e-mailed me to inquire why I used the word that way,
>>because she was unfamiliar with the usage.
>>I wonder knows of other places where the word is used in a similar sense.


>(I have read three other articles in this thread: I'll add a fourth:
>"mensa" is also the name for the university cafeteria in Austria and other
>german-speaking countries; at least according to my Cassell's:
>Mensa, f. (Univ.) students' refectory.

Here's a fifth - I remember reading some literature from the
organization Mensa which said that the name was from the latin
word mensa (table) and implied an image of people gathering
at a table for discussion.  There might have been a hint of
all begin treated as equals, as in the knights of the round mensa
(oops table).

Oh, and the univ. cafeteria at Hamburg was also called a mensa
if I remember correctly.

John




>
>
>-- 
>Michael Rothstein (Kent State U)| Any similarity between Kent State's opinions
>(rothstei@mcs.kent.edu)         | and my opinions is strictly coincidential.
>                That Newt Gingrich // That s. o. b. //
>        cuts funds from poor kids // for his friends the rich.

---------------------              __    _
John Punshon         |            / l    \~-_               "Not so
                     |   ,----~~~~--+-----`--~----____       goddamned
                     |   @   /~_~\  | ~      |   /~_~\~~~-,  fast!!"
punshonj@crl.aecl.ca |   \_ ( (_) )  \_______|  ( (_) )_-~    -a passenger
                     |     ~~\___/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\___/~
