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Re: Limor
The "li" means "my". (It's the same element as Liat, Lior, Liron, for example.)There's a Hebrew name/word Mor, a name of a plant (myrrh in English). That's probably the "mor" element, although the meaning as a whole feels a bit odd to me. "My myrrh" doesn't quite fit in with "my light", "my song", "you're mine", etc.
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Smadar Shir Sid (The Complete Book of Hebrew Baby Names) lists LIMOR (as Leemor) and explains: "From the Hebrew, 'to exchange,' or a form of the name Mohr, in Hebrew the name of a flower, myrrh. Also spelled Limor"
I think the "exchange" explanation is gramatically difficult, so the "myrrh" seems more likely to me.In the Bible, you will find a number of names that represent plants, the beauty of which is not obvious at first glance:Tsalaf - caper
Adlai - cress
Batslut - onion
Darda - thorn bush
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I thought Mor was Irish?
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Yes, it's Irish, but it's also HebrewEach language coincidentally uses the same set of sounds as a word (each uses it as a different word) and both words are name-y words. Plant names are widely used in Israel. Mor is the name of a plant that people make perfume and incense out of (so it's a plant that smells good) and thus fits into Israeli naming trends. The Gaelic word Mor fits into Irish naming trends.It's a short name, so I don't think it's very surprising that it has two seperate etymologies.Examples of names in the database with a few seperate etymologies: Nina, Maya, Aina.
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ExactlyI found the name in the Israeli Amos Oz's novel "Don't Call It Night" so it was bound to be Hebrew in this case.Thanks Noa, btw! It's true "my myrrh" is a little weird, as a meaning.

This message was edited 8/26/2008, 1:19 PM

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Yes and no.Myrrh was a very priced plant - it was given to the infant Jesus - so I can somewhat understand it.
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Hadn't thought of that, it makes sense.
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I don't think myrrh is a strange meaning for a name. But adding it onto the Li- gives it a meaning that doesn't really fit in with the other Li- names, IMO.Anneza: Both names are used quite a bit for real live Israeli women and girls. Mor is even pretty common. It's not just the character.

This message was edited 8/27/2008, 12:31 AM

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Thanks, Noa!
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But, wasn't it intended as a symbolic foreshadowing of death and burial? It was, if I'm not mistaken, an antiseptic embalming herb! Not at all what you'd expect as a name for an ordinary baby, though it could be good as an alias chosen for a purpose by an adult fictional character. I haven't read the book it comes from, so this might not fit in ...
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That I do not know.I'm familiar with the bible and I'm familiar with Christian beliefs...but the rest I'm not so hot at.Maybe someday.
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