demdem

Japanese: dendenmusi.

Tryon (1995 part 2: 391) lists demdem as a word for snail introduced into the Dami language (Papua Province, Indonesia) but does not give an origin. Bergmann (1982: 156) says the snail was introduced by the Japanese in WWII as a food source (a widely held view).

Syuntaroo Tida says a variant Japanese word for snail dendenmusi may be related to demdem, where /musi/ is a word for bugs and worms and /denden/ is a part of the word like ‘cran’ in ‘cranberry’. He adds that although it might not have been a standard word, dendenmusi is one of the most popular variations because of a well-known children’s song which starts with denden musimusi katatumuri.

Current usage extends the meaning to snail-like sea shells.

See original Mihalic entry. See List discussion. ® bosi.

Noun forms

  1. Fauna: the African giant snail

  1. Ocean: any snail-like sea shell
    wanpela grup i go long solwara na painim ol demdem na kina sel long nambis Wantok

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