Entomology

Insects are built to a plan that repeats with small changes across more species than all other animals put together, and the vocabulary follows the plan rather than the species. The eleventh entry is el ala anterior endurecida, the hardened forewing of a beetle, and el ala is worth unpacking. It is the wing of a bird, a bee or an aeroplane. It is the brim of a hat — un sombrero de ala ancha is a wide-brimmed hat, and the same word did service two lists ago for the edge of a mushroom cap. It is a wing of a building, el ala este del hospital. And it is a wing of a party, el ala moderada. English keeps « wing » for the first, third and fourth and changes to « brim » for the second — the only one of the four where nothing flies.