Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
(restos de) miera
English translation:
(pieces of) pine resin
Added to glossary by
Charles Davis
Jan 22, 2014 11:40
10 yrs ago
2 viewers *
Spanish term
(Restos de) Miera
Spanish to English
Science
Materials (Plastics, Ceramics, etc.)
Resin Composition
Please can someone confirm the exact translation of "miera" as in the following usage (from a Spanish museum description):
La peguera es una construcción de ladrillo (refractario) circular o ligeramente ovalada cubierta con falsas cúpulas y recubierta por su parte externa de barro. En ella se quema resina (restos de MIERA) mezclada con barrujo y arena.
I have found several possibilities but need confirmation of the precise term.
A prompt reply would be much appreciated. Many thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
La peguera es una construcción de ladrillo (refractario) circular o ligeramente ovalada cubierta con falsas cúpulas y recubierta por su parte externa de barro. En ella se quema resina (restos de MIERA) mezclada con barrujo y arena.
I have found several possibilities but need confirmation of the precise term.
A prompt reply would be much appreciated. Many thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +1 | (pieces of) pine resin |
Charles Davis
|
| 3 | juniper branches |
patinba
|
Change log
Jan 29, 2014 11:38: Charles Davis Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+1
1 hr
Selected
(pieces of) pine resin
I think pine resin is the term you should use. I realise this messes up the translation of "resina", but you can just use "pieces of pine resin" for the whole phrase "resina (restos de miera)".
This description coincides verbatim with the Spanish Wikipedia page on peguera, by the way (quite common practice in museum descriptions, I find!).
The DRAE definitions of miera are:
"1. Aceite espeso, muy amargo y de color oscuro, que se obtiene destilando bayas y ramas de enebro": this is cade oil, obtained from the prickly juniper and used medicinally.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_oxycedrus#Uses
"2. Trementina de pino"
http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=miera
Here we're definitely dealing with the second.
This is confirmed here. Trementina is also known as miera or resina.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resina#Definiciones
So technically it's turpentine, which can mean the actual oleoresin secreted by certain conifers. But I wouldn't use turpentine as the translation, firstly because the miera used in peguera is strictly from pines, whereas trementina/turpentine can come from various trees (esp. terebinth), and secondly because in English turpentine usually refers to the distilled resin known as aguarrás in Spanish (used to clean paintbrushes etc.), and that is not what this is, so I think it will be misunderstood.
This definitely refers to bits of pine resin mixed with barrujo (vegetable debris from the floors of pine woods) and sand. Pine resin is liquid when it is secreted but solidifies on contact with the air:
"De marzo a noviembre transcurría el trabajo entre los pinos, es la época de la resinación. La mejor época para transformar en pez los restos de resina, es en invierno. Los restos que han quedado en el suelo arenoso, junto con hojas y ramas, serán recogidos por el peguero"
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peguera
See also
http://www.goisproperty.co.uk/Gois_Portugal/Pine_Resin_produ...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 days (2014-01-29 11:38:47 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
It's a pleasure!
This description coincides verbatim with the Spanish Wikipedia page on peguera, by the way (quite common practice in museum descriptions, I find!).
The DRAE definitions of miera are:
"1. Aceite espeso, muy amargo y de color oscuro, que se obtiene destilando bayas y ramas de enebro": this is cade oil, obtained from the prickly juniper and used medicinally.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_oxycedrus#Uses
"2. Trementina de pino"
http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=miera
Here we're definitely dealing with the second.
This is confirmed here. Trementina is also known as miera or resina.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resina#Definiciones
So technically it's turpentine, which can mean the actual oleoresin secreted by certain conifers. But I wouldn't use turpentine as the translation, firstly because the miera used in peguera is strictly from pines, whereas trementina/turpentine can come from various trees (esp. terebinth), and secondly because in English turpentine usually refers to the distilled resin known as aguarrás in Spanish (used to clean paintbrushes etc.), and that is not what this is, so I think it will be misunderstood.
This definitely refers to bits of pine resin mixed with barrujo (vegetable debris from the floors of pine woods) and sand. Pine resin is liquid when it is secreted but solidifies on contact with the air:
"De marzo a noviembre transcurría el trabajo entre los pinos, es la época de la resinación. La mejor época para transformar en pez los restos de resina, es en invierno. Los restos que han quedado en el suelo arenoso, junto con hojas y ramas, serán recogidos por el peguero"
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peguera
See also
http://www.goisproperty.co.uk/Gois_Portugal/Pine_Resin_produ...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 days (2014-01-29 11:38:47 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
It's a pleasure!
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Many thanks for your help, which is much appreciated. "
1 hr
juniper branches
from "enebro de miera"?
Discussion
So the miera they're talking about here is not rosin, which is a derivative of pine resin; this miera is the solidified natural resin itself, just as it comes out of the tree and is left lying on the forest floor. But apart from turpentine (which is ambiguous and normally means the liquid derivative of resin, as I've said), I don't think there's another English term for natural pine resin, which is, I'm sure, what "miera" means here.
Thanks very much for these suggestions. Yes, the "peguera" is a pitch-making construction, sometimes referred to in English as a "tar oven". On "miera", there seems to be some references to miera as "gum rosin" (it's probably a typo in the abstract below) and I wondered whether these references might help nail the precise translation:
Rosin is the resinous constituent of the oleo-resin exuded by various species of pine, known in commerce as crude turpentine. The separation of the oleo-resin into the essential oil (spirit of turpentine) and common rosin is accomplished by distillation in large copper stills.
http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=ES19980...
...P.C: Miera. Colofonia de miera (Gun Rosin). Colofonia de madera (Wood Rosin). Colofonia de Tall-oil (Tall-oil Rosin). Aguarras. Aguarras al sulfato (Crude Sulfate Turpentine) o CST.
http://www.interempresas.net/Graphics-Arts/Articles/41228-Th...
Thus the 'gum rosin' (miera Rosin) has increased its cost in the first quarter of 2010 in about 85%, 300% since 2004.
"Peguera" means the process of making pitch (pez), or a hollow in which you burn pine wood to extract tar and pitch; the person who does it, a maker of pitch, is called a "peguero".