Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: annew on August 16, 2011, 08:17:42 PM

Title: Anybody know what a rutabulum is?
Post by: annew on August 16, 2011, 08:17:42 PM

Anybody know what a rutabulum is? There is a suggestion it might be an old scottish implement for raking the ashes out of a fire. Do you know what one looks like?

Title: Re: Anybody know what a rutabulum is?
Post by: Maggi Young on August 16, 2011, 08:36:45 PM

Not a Scots word that I know, anne

rutabulum
  Noun  
rod with flat end; (for shifting coal in oven); (stirring thick liquid)

rutrum
  Noun
shovel

and this is helpful: http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-dgra/1003.html ... where it suggests the two words are interchangeable for a type of ''hoe' for hot ashes.


 In another source rutalulum is also listed as meaning penis.... which "marries" with another  telling us it means poker !

Title: Re: Anybody know what a rutabulum is?
Post by: Neil on August 16, 2011, 08:53:04 PM

Its latin

A picture of one being used for stirring  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28299/28299-h/images/page68.png (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28299/28299-h/images/page68.png) number 21 is Rutablum from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28299/28299-h/28299-h.htm

Title: Re: Anybody know what a rutabulum is?
Post by: annew on August 17, 2011, 07:51:43 PM

Thank you!  :D