#25: Að Poppa

Today's entry is going to be a quick one, because I'm in the process of finishing up some of my graduate school applications! The word that I've chosen is fun to say, and useful if you're a habitual snacker, but I don't have very many insightful remarks to make about it. It's að poppa, and it's a verb that specifically means "to make popcorn."

The etymology of að poppa is very straightforward. It is derived from the noun poppkorn (popcorn), which itself was likely borrowed from or at least influenced by English. The word korn is a native Icelandic word with Old Norse cognates, but it means "grain" or "cereal" in general instead of maize specifically (that word is maís). 

The nice thing about að poppa is that it's the only word you need to express the concept of making popcorn. That cuts down on talking time and gives you valuable extra snacking time! And, I think, it's fun to use. In English, you can't quite say, "I'm hungry. Let's pop!" But, you can in Icelandic... Ég er svangur. Poppum!

WORD SUMMARY:

að poppa: to make popcorn

    Present: poppa, poppar, poppar
    Past: poppaði
    Participle: poppað

Posted in: Food, Verbs