Isaac, That sounds like midrashic etymology to me. Similar to Philip of Macedon who, upon hearing that his wife was pregnant, ordering his chefs to make her favourite meal by commanding, "All eggs under the grate!" He thereby determined fate that his son would be known as "Alexander the Great".
GEORGE ATHAS Dean of Research, Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au) Sydney, Australia From: Isaac Fried <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Date: Thursday, 11 October 2012 8:38 PM To: Uri Hurwitz <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Cc: B-Hebrew <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: [b-hebrew] XA$MAL - electricity I once heard it being said that 'electricity', coming from the Greek word 'electron' for 'amber', is actually a biblical term. Phoenician hawkers sitting by Greek temples and selling this aromatic substance advertised their wares by shouting out at the worshipers: לאל-קטר, לאל-קטר LA-EL-QATER, LA-EL-QATER, 'offer incense to the gods', 'offer incense to the gods', giving this substance its name. Isaac Fried, Boston University
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