Hello Stan,
(I know I am sending Cc: to the list. Thought perhaps more of you would
like to have this information).

This is a question that pops up now and again. We have this French
encyclopedia:

 Le Corbusier : une encyclopédie. - Paris : Centre Georges Pompidou, c1987.
-
   497 s. : ill. (Collection Monographie)
      "Ouvrage publié à l'occasion de l'exposition "L'aventure Le Corbusier"
   produite par le Centre de Création Industrielle et présentée d'octobre
   1987 à janvier 1988 dans la Grande Galerie du Centre National d'Art et de
   Culture Georges Pompidou à Paris".
      ISBN 2-85850-398-2

Under "Pseudonymes" one may read what Ozenfant himself told of the episode
when both their pseudonyms were chosen, in his "Mémoires":

"- Je prends le nom de ma mère: Saugnier, prenez celui de votre mère...
- Impossible : elle est une Perret! Comme August!
- Allons bon! Alors prenez le nom d'un cousin...
- Il y avait des Lecorbézier*, ils sont tous morts...
- Bien, vous relèvez le nom, vous serez LE CORBUSIER, en deux sections,
cela fera plus riche!"
(the following is my translation. Could have been better, much better, I
think ... Kjersti):
"and I start a tirade about the "courbusiers": In the Middle Ages, in the
churches, with the vicar, the sexton, the bell-ringer, there was a
CORBUSIER, the one who shot(? "tirait") the crossbow, like your Wilhelm
Tell, at the "corbeaux"(=the ravens) that sat on the cross of the church
tower and poohed on it; your role is exactly ... (the next I cannot
translate: "de dém..." "votre rôle est justement de dém...") the
architecture; and furthermore you have the head of a "corbeau" (=a raven).
That name fits you like a glove. That <explanation> got to him(?"lui alla")
like a glove"

*Or Le Corbesier, great-great-grandfather on Jeanneret's mother-side,
native of Bruxelles

So, according to Ozenfant, he invented a profession - a raven killer - from
the Middle Ages, and by doing so, gave Corbus his name - and the name's
ethymology!

Kjersti L., Norway

--On 21. august 2003 12:21 -0700 Stan Shiebert <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Dear Collective Wisdom:
> We are trying to find out the meaning of Le Corbusier's name? Any
> connection with corbeau? Or did he just invent the word? Any assistance
> gratefully received
> Stan
>
> Stan Shiebert
> Librarian
> Arts, Recreation & Literature Department
> Seattle Public Library
> TEL: 206-386-4613
> FAX: 206-386-4616
> [log in to unmask]
>
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__________________________________________________________________
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For information about joining ARLIS/NA see:
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        to [log in to unmask]
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