| 词源 |
creosote. Creosote was coined in the early 19th century from Greek words that the word’s inventor thought meant “flesh sav- ing”; though the Greek meant something else entirely, creosote has never been abandoned. Creosote, an oily liquid with a burning taste and penetrating odor, is obtained by the distilla- tion of wood tar, and it is a “flesh saver” because of its early use as a preservative of meat and fish. (Now, when used at all, it is to preserve wood.) The evergreen Creosote bush (Larrea tri- dentata), which has a strong odor of creosote, is now regarded as the world’s oldest known living plant; a specimen found in 1985 in the Mojave Desert is believed to be 11,700 years old, making it far older than the previous record holder, a 5,000- year-old bristlecone pine. |