A WORD A DAY.

Southland Times, Issue 22130, 26 September 1933, Page 8

A WORD A DAY.

EL DORADO. El Dorado in the original Spanish meant literally “the gilded one.” The name was applied first to the king of a South American tribe (on the table land in the vicinity of Bogota, Colombia), who was wont to anoint himself with a resinous oil and then cover himself with gold dust on the occasion of a yearly religious festival; next the name was applied to a legendary city of great wealth, and, lastly, to a mythical country in which gold and precious stones were to be found in fabulous abundance. This country was sought for by several Spanish explorers, and also by Sir Walter Raleigh. We use the name figuratively to indicate any region or enterprise that abounds in opportunity; also, to designate any supreme goal or a condition or source of perfect abundance. El Do-ra’-do is accented on the second syllable of the second word; sound e as in get, first o as in obey, a as in arm, second o as in old. *‘A certain, comedy was described by Lloore as an ‘EI Dorado of wit’ ”