(urth) BotNS in German

[Hmpf MacSlow]

At 10:19 AM 12/4/2004, you wrote:
>At 00:51 04/12/2004, Hmpf MacSlow wrote:
>>In English, you can always find a more complicated way to say something 
>>simple (E.g. 'barbican' for 'watchtower').
>
>Except that barbican and watchtower each have specific and disparate 
>meanings which should bring quite different images to a reader's mind.
>
>Matthew


Okay... but my point kind of was - we don't have two different words for it 
in German. (Though of course I'll only know for sure when I've checked a 
specialised dictionary, I guess. There may be a word I just don't know.)

For the sake of curiosity: what *is* the difference? All my dictionary 
would offer me for 'barbican' (I never looked it up before I had to 
translate it, being used to not understanding the occasional word in Wolfe, 
and usually just going by context) was, well, 'watchtower'.

Hmpf - always eager to learn new English vocabulary