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] > > __________________________________________________________________ > Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] > For information about joining ARLIS/NA see: > http://www.arlisna.org//membership.html > Send administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc) > to [log in to unmask] > ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance: > http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/arlis-l.html > Questions may be addressed to list owner (Kerri Scannell) at: > [log in to unmask] __________________________________________________________________ Mail submissions to [log in to unmask] For information about joining ARLIS/NA see: http://www.arlisna.org//membership.html Send administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc) to [log in to unmask] ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance: http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/arlis-l.html Questions may be addressed to list owner (Kerri Scannell) at: [log in to unmask]