Word of the Day #4: Purfle

Main Entry:

pur·fle

Pronunciation:

\ˈpər-fəl\

Function:

transitive verb

Inflected Form(s):

pur·fled; pur·fling \-f(ə-)liŋ\

Etymology:

Middle English purfilen, from purfil embroidered border, from Anglo-French, from pur for, in place of (from Latin pro-) + fil thread, yarn — more at pro-, file

Date:

14th century

: to ornament the border or edges of

— purfle noun

This word was the most challenging yet. I was really at a loss for what to discuss, so I decided to search google images for inspiration. Mostly there were pictures of wedding dresses and other random things, but by the third page I finally found something to inspire me. This is kind of taking the word out of context, but I suppose I'm the one who makes the context. So, my inspiration was this image:Apparently this beauty has a "herringbone purfle gloss". Perfect! Today I'll switch gears with my target culture and talk about Flamenco.

Flamenco is both a type of music and a type of dance. First, I'll talk about the music.
Flamenco is actually quite personal to me, because my boyfriend is Spanish. Not only is he Spanish, he's from Andalucia: the birthplace of Flamenco. Thus, he not only knows Flamenco music, he also knows how to play Flamenco on his guitar. An acoustic guitar is used for Flamenco, and people who know about the music generally clap along at the appropriate places. I suppose I'm a difficult audience to play to as a guiri, but I still think it's some of the most beautiful music there is.
Speaking of standing out as a guiri in a crowd of Spaniards, it seems all Spaniards know how to dance Flamenco. Thus, while at a New Year's party when Flamenco music came on, not only did I look out of place with my blonde hair and blue eyes, I also was the only idiot who didn't know how to dance properly. After that experience I've decided Flamenco dancing is at least one thing I will learn in this lifetime. While on the subject of dancing, the Flamenco dresses are quite incredible. Many dancers purfle their hair with flowers and wear dresses that flair out when they spin. Here's a video of the music and a dancer.

As far as a comparison, I don't think there really is one in the U.S. Jazz and Blues are very American forms of music, but neither one of them really have a corresponding dance. Flamenco is seems to be one of a kind. From the influx of various influences (Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Gypsy, etc.) it has come into being. Nobody can say exactly who or what culture deserves credit for it, because it seems to be a conglomerate of several different cultures. In addition, the style is much different from the North, so it seemed to develop on its own within the beautiful region of Andalucia.