Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Siamese |
SiameseAdjective1. Of or relating to or characteristic of Thailand of its people; "Siamese kings"; "the Thai border with Laos". 2. Of or relating to the languages of the Thai people; "Thai tones". 3. Of or relating to Thailand or its peoples or languages or culture; "Siamese kings"; "Different Thai tribes live in the North of the country"; "the Thai border with Laos". 4. Very similar. 5. Connecting two or more pipes or hoses or having such a connection; "a Y-shaped siamese joint"; "siamese fire-hose lines". Noun1. A branch of the Tai languages. 2. A native or inhabitant of Thailand. 3. A slender short-haired blue-eyed breed of cat having a pale coat with dark ears paws face and tail tip. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "Siamese" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1759. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Public Administration | Hose fitting for the branching of delivery hose lines. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The siamese cat is one of the first distinct recognised cat breeds of Oriental cat. The exact origins of the breed are unknown, but it is believed to be south east Asia, possibly as the sacred temple cats of Siam (hence their name). The breed was first seen outside their Asian home in 1884, when the British Counsul-General in Bangkok, Mr Owen Gould, brought a pair of the cats back to Britain for his sister, Mrs Veley (who went on to be co-founder of the Siamese Cat Club in 1901). The cats were shown at the Crystal Palace in 1885, and the following year another pair (with kittens) were imported by a Mrs. Vyvyan and her sister. A small number of cats were brought in in following years, and together these formed the base breeding pool for entire breed in Britain.
Two young Siamese cats, and an American longhairAs a result of thousands of generations of selective breeding and the pressures of competition there are now actually two subbreeds of Siamese - the modern show Siamese, and the traditional or 'appleheaded' Siamese. Modern show Siamese have been bred to be extremely elongated, with bodies slender to the point of emaciation, and a Y-shaped head with an extremely long muzzle and extra-large 'batwing' ears. The traditional Siamese are much sturdier, with a round head and ears more in proportion to their size. Siamese cats often have a kink in their tails, because the original breeders saw that as a unique feature of the breed. In recent years the kinked tail has become a "flaw" and breeders have largely eradicated it from the Show Siamese. Both breeds of Siamese have almond-shaped eyes and like all Oriental cats they are extremely talkative and demanding of attention. They often will engage themselves in crazy antics to get the attention of their people, and often attach themselves to one human in a household. As they are wired for sound, they can meow loud enough to compete with fire and rescue equipment.
A chocolate-tabby-pointed Balinese(note the boning on the tail)All Siamese have a creamy base coat with coloured "points" on their muzzles, ears, paws and lower legs, and tails. The darker Siamese have a darkening of their back and hindquarters as well. Originally Siamese were all chocolate pointed, but now they have been bred in all of the standard cat colours including red, lilac, blue, chocolate, tabby and torty or tortoise-shell. These coloured Siamese are generally known as colourpoints but in all other respects they are the same as the traditional brown, chocolate or black Siamese cats.
The gene that is responsible for the pigmentation is heat-sensitive so all Siamese kittens, although pure cream or white at birth, develop visible points in the first few months of life. By the time the kitten is four weeks old the points should be clearly distinguisable enough to recognise which colour they will be.
Many Siamese are cross-eyed to compensate for the abnormal uncrossed wiring of the optic chiasm, which is produced by the same albino allele that produces coloured points.
External links
- Siamese Cat History - http://www.meezer.com/siamhist.html
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Siamese cat."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in southeast Asia, bordering Laos and Cambodia to the east, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to the south, and the Andaman Sea and Myanmar to the west. Thailand is also known as Siam, which was the country's official name until May 11, 1949. The word Thai means "free" in the Thai language. It is also the name of the Thai people - leading some inhabitants, particularly the sizeable Chinese minority, to still use the name Siam.
Prathet Thai
(In Detail) National motto: None Official language Thai Capital Bangkok King Bhumibol Adulyadej Prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra Area
- Total
- % waterRanked 49th
514,000 km²
0.4%Population
- Total (2002)
- DensityRanked 19th
62,354,402
121/km²Establishment 1238 Currency Baht Time zone UTC +7 National anthem Phleng Chat Internet TLD .TH Calling Code 66
History
Main article: History of ThailandThailand's origin is traditionally tied to the short-lived kingdom of Sukhothai founded in 1238, after which the larger kingdom of Ayutthaya was established in the mid-14th century. Thai culture was greatly influenced by both China and India. Contact with various European powers began in the 16th century but despite continued pressure Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power, though Western influence led to many reforms in the 19th century.
A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. Known previously as Siam the country first changed its name to Thailand in 1939 and definitively in 1949 after reverting to the old name post-World War II. During that conflict Thailand was in a loose alliance with Japan; following its conclusion Thailand became an ally of the United States. Thailand then saw a series of military coup d'états, but progressed towards democracy from the 1980s onward.
North East
- Chiang Mai
- Chiang Rai
- Kamphaeng Phet
- Lampang
- Lamphun
- Mae Hong Son
- Nakhon Sawan
- Nan
- Phayao
- Phetchabun
- Phichit
- Phitsanulok
- Phrae
- Sukhothai
- Tak
- Uthai Thani
- Uttaradit
South
- Chachoengsao
- Chanthaburi
- Chonburi
- Rayong
- Prachinburi
- Srakaeo
- Trat
- Chumphon
- Krabi
- Nakhon Si Thammarat
- Narathiwat
- Pattani
- Phang Nga
- Phattalung
- Phuket
- Ranong
- Satun
- Songkhla
- Surat Thani
- Trang
- Yala
North-East
Central
- Amnat Charoen
- Buriram
- Chaiyaphum
- Kalasin
- Khon Kaen
- Loei
- Maha Sarakham
- Mukdahan
- Nakhon Phanom
- Nakhon Ratchasima
- Nongbua Lamphu
- Nong Khai
- Roi Et
- Sakhon Nakhon
- Sisaket
- Surin
- Ubon Ratchathani
- Udon Thani
- Yasothon
- Ang Thong
- Ayutthaya
- Bangkok
- Chainat
- Kanchanaburi
- Lopburi
- Nakhon Nayok
- Nakhon Pathom
- Nonthaburi
- Pathumthani
- Phetchaburi
- Prachuap Khiri Khan
- Ratchaburi
- Samut Prakan
- Samut Sakhon
- Samut Songkhram
- Saraburi
- Sing Buri
- Suphanburi
Provinces are further subdivided into 642 districts (Amphoe) and 78 sub-districts (King Amphoe), and furthermore into 7,236 communes (Tambon), 55,746 villages (Muban), 123 municipalities (Tesaban), and 729 sanitation districts (Sukhaphiban) (numbers are for 1984).
Geography
Main article: Geography of ThailandThailand is home to several distinct geographic regions, partly corresponding to the provincial groups. The north of the country is mountainous, with the highest point being the Doi Inthanon at 2,576 m. The northeast consists of the Khorat Plateau, bordered to the east by the Mekong river. The centre of the country is dominated by the predominantly flat Chao Phraya river valley, which runs into the Gulf of Thailand. The south consists of the narrow Kra Isthmus that widens into the Malay Peninsula.
The local climate is tropical and characterised by monsoons. There is a rainy, warm, and cloudy southwest monsoon from mid-May to September, as well as a dry, cool northeast monsoon from November to mid-March. The southern isthmus is always hot and humid. Major cities beside the capital Bangkok include Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Chiang Mai, and Songkhla.
See also: List of islands of Thailand
Economy
Main article: Economy of ThailandAfter enjoying the world's highest growth rate from 1985 to 1995 - averaging almost 9% annually - increased speculative pressure on Thailand's currency, the baht, in 1997 led to a crisis that uncovered financial sector weaknesses and forced the government to float the currency. Long pegged at 25 to the US dollar, the baht reached its lowest point of 56 to the US dollar in January 1998 and the economy contracted by 10.2% that same year. The crisis spread to the Asian financial crisis.
Thailand entered a recovery stage in 1999, expanding 4.2% and grew 4.4% in 2000, largely due to strong exports - which increased about 20% in 2000. An ailing financial sector and the slow pace of corporate debt restructuring, combined with a softening of global demand, however, slowed growth in 2001 to 1.4%.
Holidays Date English Name Local Name Remarks January 1 New Year's Day Wan Khun Pee Mai February Mahka Bucha Based on thai lunar calendar April 6 Chakri Day Commemorates King Rama I, founder of the Chakri dynasty April 13-April 15 Thai New Year Songkran May Vaisakh Bucha Based on thai lunar calendar May Royal Ploughing Ceremony Government only May 1 Labour Day Bank holiday only May 5 Coronation Day Commemorates coronation of the current king Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1950 July Asarnha Bucha Based on Thai lunar calendar, government only July Buddhist Lent Khao Phansa Based on Thai lunar calendar July 1 Mid Year Day Bank holiday only August 12 Mothers Day Commemorates birthday of the current queen October 23 Chulalongkorn Day Wan Piyamaharat Commemorates King Chulalongkorn (Rama V)... the anniversary of his death December 5 Fathers Day Commemorates birthday of the current king Bhumibol Adulyadej December 10 Constitution Day Commemorates the change to constitutional monarchy in 1932 December 31 New Year's Eve
Miscellaneous topics
- Communications in Thailand
- Transportation in Thailand
- Military of Thailand
- Foreign relations of Thailand
- Music of Thailand
- National parks (Thailand)
- Historical parks of Thailand
- List of Thailand-related topics
External Links
- Royal Thai Government - Official governmental site
- Thai National Assembly - Official parliamentary site
- Tourism Authority of Thailand - Official tourism site
- Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao - The Thailand islands portal
Countries of the world | Asia Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Thailand."
Synonym: SiameseSynonym: twin (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Accompaniment | Noun: duality, dualism; duplicity; biplicity, biformity; polarity. two, deuce, couple, duet, brace, pair, cheeks, twins, Castor and Pollux, gemini, Siamese twins; fellows; yoke, conjugation; dispermy, doublets, dyad, span. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Siamese |
| English words defined with "Siamese": blue point Siamese, Burmese cat ♦ dissociable ♦ Fighting fish ♦ separable, severable. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "Siamese": double codend, double codends ♦ trouser cod end, trouser codend, TWINS. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "Siamese": Wanhorn. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Siamese" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. German (siamese), Italian (siamese). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I'm treating two sets of Siamese twins with split personalities (Zelig; writing credit: Woody Allen.) If it doesn't have Siamese twins in a jar, it's not a fair (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge) And we're together and we didn't merge into a freakish four-man Siamese twin (Angel; writing credit: Letícia Dornelles) We are Siamese if you please (Lady and the Tramp; writing credit: Ward Greene; Erdman Penner) | |
Lyrics | Who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat (Like a Rolling Stone; performing artist: Bob Dylan) | |
Clever | Survivor of Siamese Twins Joins Parents (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Siamese Twins (1898) The Chinese Siamese Cat Sagwa (2001) Calendar the Siamese (1997) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Music |
|
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | The Siamese Twins, : first discovered while fishing on the banks of the Siam River by Mr. R. Hunter. / Drawn & Engraved by H. Berthoud. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |  | The political "Siamese" twins the offspring of Chicago miscegenation. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | The siamese twins of statesmanship. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Bangkok - mounted Siamese cavalryman; palace in background. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Siamese Cat 5" by Ralph Spegel Commentary: "Twin Cats." | "Cat Pupa" by Visnja Zeljeznjak Commentary: "Siamese cat named Pupa with blue eyes in bed. ." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Germany waives all claims against the Siamese Government on behalf of herself or her nationals arising out of the seizure or condemnation of German ships, the liquidation of German property, or the internment of German nationals in Siam. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Economic History | Laos | In the late 18th century, the Siamese (Thai) established hegemony over much of what is now Laos. (references) |
Laos | Following its colonization of Vietnam, the French supplanted the Siamese and began to integrate all of Laos into the French empire. (references) | |
Cambodia | During the 15th century, nearly all of Angkor was abandoned after Siamese attacks, except Angkor Wat, which remained a shrine for Buddhist pilgrims.The great city and temples remained largely cloaked by the forest until the late 19th century when French archaeologists began a long restoration process. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Siamese" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 72.29% of the time. "Siamese" is used about 83 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 72.29% | 60 | 43,597 |
| Noun (common) | 18.07% | 15 | 90,616 |
| Noun (proper) | 7.23% | 6 | 143,867 |
| Noun (singular) | 2.41% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 83 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "Siamese": blue point Siamese ♦ siamese cat ♦ siamese twin ♦ siamese twins. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "Siamese": siamese-twin, siamese-twinned. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "Siamese"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | Siamees. (various references) | |
Albanian | siamez. (various references) | |
Arabic | ملتصق (attached, close fitting), توائم سيامية, سيامي من مملكة سيام, سيامي, اللغة السامية. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | сиамски език, сиамски, сиамци, сиамец. (various references) | |
Chinese | 暹罗语. (various references) | |
Czech | siamský. (various references) | |
Danish | forgrener (dividing breeching). (various references) | |
Dutch | Siamees. (various references) | |
Esperanto | siama. (various references) | |
Farsi | اهل کشورتایلند(Thailand), اهل کشورسیام . (various references) | |
Finnish | siamilainen, jakoliitin (dividing breeching). (various references) | |
French | Siamois (Siamese cat). (various references) | |
German | siamkatze (siamese cat), siamesische katze, siamesisch, siamesin, siamese, Verteilungsstueck (dividing breeching). (various references) | |
Greek | σύνδεσμος διακλάδωσης ροής (dividing breeching), σιαμαίοσ, σιαμαίος σύνδεσμος (dividing breeching). (various references) | |
Hungarian | sziámi. (various references) | |
Italian | siamese, ripartitore (distribution block, distribution frame, distributor, distributor manifold, dividing breeching, ice cream scoop, manifold, spreader). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 泰語 (Siamese language, Thai), シャム猫 (Siamese cat), シャム双生児 (Siamese twins). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | たいご (enlightenment, formation, great wisdom, line array, ranks of troops, Siamese language, Thai), シャムそうせいじ (Siamese twins), シャムねこ (Siamese cat). (various references) | |
Korean | 샴 (SIAM). (various references) | |
Manx | Seeamagh. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | iamesesay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | siamês, língua siamesa, espia fina (dividing breeching). (various references) | |
Romanian | siamez. (various references) | |
Russian | сиамский, сиамец сиамский, сиамец. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | sijamski jezik, sijamski, sijamac. (various references) | |
Spanish | siamés, pieza de división (dividing breeching), pieza de bifurcación (dividing breeching). (various references) | |
Swedish | siameskatt, siamesisk, siames, grenrör (branch pipe, manifold). (various references) | |
Thai | เกี่ยวกับไทย, คนไทย (Thai), ภาษาไทย (Thai). (various references) | |
Turkish | siyamlı, siyamca, siyam (Siam). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | сіамський, сіамка, сіамець. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "Siamese": siameses. (additional references) | |
| |
"Siamese" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: siamesed, siameze, Siennese. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "Siamese" (pronounced sī'umē"z) |
| 4 | -u m ē" z | chemise. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: misease. | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-e-i-m-s-s" | |
-1 letter: easies, emesis, sesame. | |
-2 letters: amies, amiss, eases, masse, mesas, mises, seams, seems, seise, seism, semes, semis, simas. | |
-3 letters: aims, amie, amis, ease, emes, eses, isms, maes, mass, mesa, mess, mise, miss, same, seam, seas, seem, sees, seis, seme, semi, sima, sims. | |
-4 letters: aim, ais, ami, ass, eme, ems, ess, ism, mae, mas, mis, sae. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-e-i-m-s-s" | |
+1 letter: miseases, seamiest, seriemas, siameses. | |
+2 letters: amebiases, amnesties, casimeres, cassimere, demitasse, embassies, emphasise, estimates, isomerase, jessamine, majesties, masteries, measliest, meatiness, messaline, metalises, misseated, seaminess, smeariest, smiercase, steamiest. | |
+3 letters: amoebiases, assemblies, careerisms, cassimeres, clematises, creaminess, deaminases, defeatisms, demitasses, dreaminess, emissaries, empathises, emphasised, emphasises, emphasizes, enamelists, epimerases, estaminets, gaminesses, isogametes, isomerases, jessamines, lamaseries, magnesites, magnetises, mainsheets, marbleises, masseteric, matinesses, mazinesses, mescalines, mesnalties, messalines, metathesis, misbehaves, miscreates, miserables, misleaders, misrelates, misteaches, reemphasis, rosemaries, semestrial, semimetals, seminaries, semisacred, sidestream, smiercases, spermaries, steaminess, streamiest, streamside, timesavers, timescales. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Quotations: Historic 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Usage Frequency 12. Expressions | 13. Expressions: Internet 14. Translations: Modern 15. Derivations 16. Rhymes | 17. Anagrams 18. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
