Thai. A decorative neckpiece sometimes worn by Thai dancers and -in the past- by some warriors.
1. Thai for snail, a slow-moving gastropod mollusc that lives on land and has a spiral shell. Its scientific name is achatina fulica and it belongs to the genus achatinidae. Its pink caviar-like eggs ...for more order our CDrom...
2. Thai for slug, a small shell-less mollusc with the scientific name limax and of the family limacidae. It eats leaves and thus often destroys plants. 3. Thai for leech, a bloodsucking, worm-like, invertebrate and hermaphrodite animal living on land and with the scientific name haemadipsa interrupta, of the family hirudinae. Bloodsuckers are commonly found in Thai rainforests and will cling to passer-bys, people and mammals alike, and suck their blood. Its bite is not painful but the leech will inject an anti-haemostatic agent that prevents the blood from curdling and enables the leech to suck blood without difficulty. Bloodsuckers usually stick to their host until they are full and then let go and drop off by themselves. To remove them sooner one could spray them with salt or burn them with a cigarette. To prevent leeches from attacking, locals often smear a mixture of saliva and tobacco on their exposed skin, but one may also spray insecticide or a mosquito repellant containing diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET). Leeches were in the past often used medically, for bloodletting. Akin to ...for more order our CDrom... See tahn. See tahnbat. Thai. Royal stick or sceptre, part of the Thai regalia or kakuttapan. It represents the king's power over his subjects to lead them in the right directions, yet under the totsaphit rajatham or ten royal virtues, ruling with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Thai people.
taanphraphuttarup (ฐานพระพุทธรูป) See tahnphraphuttarup.
A lighter made on the principle of the
fire piston. It consist of two parts, that is: a cylinder called krabok
taban and a compressor named look taban.
This primitive fire starting device was
widely used by several primeval tribes in the jungles of Southeast
Asia, as was observed by British explorers already in the mid 1850's.
Unlike other primitive fire starting methods such as the bow or hand
drill, the fire saw, flint and steel, the fire piston operates by
compression, a principle later adopted by the diesel engine invented
by Rudolf Diesel. It is believed that the idea of the primitive fire
piston may have inspired him.
The tool may be made from buffalo horn, elephant tusk or hardwood, which is turned into a hollow
round, cylinder-like rod or bar with a lathe. It is about 8 to 12
centimeters long. The end of the
krabok taban is
often made into
a pointed shape to allow the insertion of a pointed piece of metal to
scrape out the ashes. The compressor is usually made from the
same material as the cylinder but a little longer and with a good grip
to make it easy to handle and avoid hurting your hand when the
compressor is pressed down the cylinder
to ignite a spark. At the end of the compressor a concave is
drilled out to store the kindling or fueling
agent, such as
See toh. Thai. General name for plants of the family cucurbitaceae, of which many are grown in Thailand, such as taeng kwa (a small cucumber), taeng rahn (a large cucumber), taeng thai (a melon), taeng moh (the watermelon), etc. Thai for the watermelon, of the genus citrullus and with the scientific name citrullus lanatus. There are numerous varieties, differing in size, shape, coulour of skin and flesh. The watermelon belongs to a large and distinguished family of vines, which includes gourds and cucumbers, many of which names in Thai start with the prefix taeng. While some of these vines are climbers, the watermelon with its large and heavy fruit spreads across the ground. Its sweet succulent flesh is usually red, but may also be yellow. Its seeds too are edible and roasted these are a popular snack throughout Southeast Asia. Thai. Base or pedestal for a statue. Also transcribed taan. See also thaen. Thai. Base or pedestal for a Buddha image in the form of an upside-down lotus (fig.). Also transcribed taanbat.
Thai. 'Lion base'. The foot of a pedestal in the form of a lion's paw.
tahnphraphuttarup (ฐานพระพุทธรูป) Thai. Base or pedestal for a Buddha image, often in the form of a lotus (fig.), but also in other forms such as elephants (fig.). When the pedestal has outward turned legs in the shape of a lion's paw, it is called tahn singh. Regularly pedestals may have a pah thip, an ornamental cloth hanging from the bottom of the Buddha image, in front of the pedestal (fig.). Also spelt taanphraphuttarup.
An animist people in Southwest China (Sipsongpannah), though not ethnically Chinese, who from the 9th century began to migrate southward, little by little, into parts of Southeast Asia and the fertile Chao Phraya valley. They settled down in an area that nowadays would cover Burma, Laos and Thailand. They are the predecessors of the present day people of the Thai race ...for more order our CDrom... tai chi (太极) Chinese. Martial art and system of calisthenics with slow controlled movements. It is practiced each morning in Bangkok's Lumphini Park by both young and old, though usually by people with a Chinese background. Its full name is tai chi chuan. tai chi chuan (太极拳) Chinese. 'Great ultimate boxing'. Full name for tai chi. See Taijitu. Chinese. 'Diagram of the supreme Ultimate'. Name for a Chinese symbol (fig.) which represents the principle of yin and yang, and therefore often mistakenly called yin-yang. Also spelled Tai chi tu. Name of a province (map) and its capital city on the eastern banks of the Ping river in North Thailand, 426 kms north of Bangkok with a population of approximately 21,000. This province is home to the first outpost to which king Naresuan and his army went on their return from the battle. Its places of interest include the Bhumipol water dam (fig.) and Thi Loh Suh waterfall, one of Thailand's most impressive waterfalls. The ...for more order our CDrom...
Thai. To put food in the alms bowl (baat) of Buddhist monks in the morning. Compare with bintabaat. Khmer. 'Tower of crystal'. Temple in Angkor dedicated to Shiva and built in the late 10th to early 11th century AD, under the auspices of Jayavarman V. Thai name for the governor's plum, genus flacourtier. This tree has tiny white flowers and bears small round edible date-like berries which turn red and acidulous sweet when ripe.
Thai. 'Grasshopper' or 'mantis'. Straight winged insect of the genus mantis with long strong hind legs, that enable it to jump far. There are many different species occurring in diverse sizes. A particular larger species is eaten by some Thai people and can be seen for sale at many food markets throughout the country. Its taste is told to be nutty. Commonly seen is the large praying mantis (fig.), a predatory insect that holds its forelegs like hands folded in prayer. In Thai this species is called takkataen tam khao, which translates as 'rice crushing mantis'. takkataen tam khao (ตั๊กแตนตำข้าว) Thai. 'Rice crushing mantis'. Name for the praying mantis, a predatory insect of the genus mantis that holds its forelegs like hands folded in prayer. They appear in brightly green to brown colour and may grow up to a length of about 25-30 centimeters. See also takkataen.
A Thai name for persimmon. takraw (ตะกร้อ) 1. Thai. Traditional game played over a net, similar to volleyball, but with a rattan ball (fig.). There are two teams of three players and each team has to try to score by making the ball touch down on the field of the opposite team. Players may use any part of the body except their hands and forearms. The game is recognized as an official sport in Asia. On the street one often sees youths in a circle practicing takraw (fig.), but officially the sport is ...for more order our CDrom...
2. Thai. A basket made from rattan with a long handle, used for picking fruit from trees. takro (ตะกร้อ) See takraw. Thai. A charm of rolled gold or silver strips, or of a bullet shell filled with 108 herbs blessed by a monk, providing immunity from physical assault to those who wear it strung around the neck or the waist. It is usually an alternative for those who want supernatural protection against bullets but ...for more order our CDrom...
Thai. 'South' or 'southern'. The wind direction guarded by the lokapala Phra Yom. See also Udon, Isaan, Burapah, Ahkney, Horadih, Prajim and Phayap.
Taksin (ตากสิน) General from Uttaradit who after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 assembled an army in Chanthaburi to chase out the invading Burmese from Thailand, and afterward became king of Siam making Thonburi the new capital. He was executed in 1782 by order of general Chakri for megalomania and beaten to death according to the prevailing protocol under a red satin cloth with a sandal wood club. His official title is King Borom ...for more order our CDrom...
Thai name for a monitor lizard of the species varanus bengalensis. Thai. 'Water market'. A floating market where people trade from boats. These are found throughout the country, and on the Bangkok canals, the most visited is Damnun Saduak in the province Ratchaburi. Less touristy are the floating markets in Samut Songkhram, including the daily talaat nahm 'amphawaa', and the talaat nahm 'tha kha' and talaat nahm 'bang noi', which open only a few times per month, on dates determined by the traditional lunar calendar. Also talaat thong nahm.
talaat thong nahm (ตลาดท้องน้ำ) Thai. 'Market (talaat) in the middle (thong) of the water (nahm)'. See talaat nahm. talaew (ตาแหลว) Thai. Strip of bamboo pleated into a star shape with five or seven points, found mainly in northern Thailand. The hill tribes, place them at the entrance to their houses or villages to keep away the spirits of the deceased. Similar items are placed in paddy fields during the rice growing season (fig.) as a protection for the offers made to Poh Sop (fig.). It may also be used as a charm on a pot containing a potion, or as ...for more order our CDrom...
Thai. Originally a feather fan or like the pad bai laan (fig.) made of a palm leaf. It has a long handle and is used by Buddhist monks to hide their face when preaching or chanting before an audience. Nowadays it is often made from other materials such as cloth (fig.). Also pad yot. An object which it is believed to bring good fortune to its holder. The counterpart of an amulet. Thai name for dhamma. An evergreen tree that grows to 25 meters and has the Latin name tamarindus indica. Its fruits have an elongated form similar to pea pods. The sticky sweet-sour fruit with shiny brown seeds is lose in the peel, held together by inedible fibres. It can be eaten both unripe and ripe, fresh or dried. It is slightly laxative and is processed as an ingredient for phad thai, chutney and curries, as well as in drinks. In Thailand called makhaam (fig.) and is grown widely in Phetchabun province. See also makhaampom and makhaamthet.
Thai. 'Rural administrative sub-district'. A subdivision of an amphur administered by a kamnan and consisting of several mu ban or villages. Thailand has a total of 7,255 tambon. Thai. Offering or merit making for religious purposes to gain advantage either for oneself or for a third person. This may consist of temple offerings (fig.), the feeding of mendicant monks (sai baat), a temporary stay in a temple, a prayer (fig.), etc.
tamboon sai baat (ทำบุญใส่บาตร) Thai. To perform a good deed or to make merit (tamboon) by giving an offering into (sai) the alms bowl (baat) of a Buddhist monk. Sometimes in temples several alms bowls are arranged in a long row in which small coins, usually 25 satang (fig.) are offered. This form of tamboon may occur in combination with Buddha images as in the phra prajamwan system (fig.). See also sai baat.
Thai. A pulpit in the form of an elaborately carved seat.
Thai. 'Personality prophecy'. Refers to a scene in Buddhism where the reusi Kaladevaila honoured the newborn prince Siddhartha causing the latter to perform his first miracle by placing himself on top of the turban of the sage (fig.). On the fifth day after his birth king Suddhodana invited eight brahman priests to foretell the future of the prince. Seven of them proclaimed that he had the auspicious signs of a monarch or a buddha, depending on whether he would strive for a secular or religious career. The eight brahman confirmed that if he denied a worldly life he ...for more order our CDrom... Cosmic dance of the Hindu god Shiva. See also Nataraja and kalachakra. Tan Khun Khun Luang (ท่านขุนขุนหลวง) Thai. The next title in ascending line after a Khun or Khun Luang, now obsolete. Also the popular name for a Khun. Sanskrit. 'Tusk'. An attribute of Ganesha (fig.) and refers to his broken tusk that he uses as a divine weapon to destroy obstacles. In Thai called nga tih hak, literally 'broken off tusk'. Mythological bird holding a staff in both hands, usually seen in pairs guarding temple gates in Thailand.
A collection of sacred texts and practices associated with Tibetan Buddhism. There are also tantric texts in Hinduism. The central theme of the tantra is the divine energy and creating power symbolized by the female characteristics (shakti) of a god, personified in a goddess. A late form of Brahmanism, a Hindu doctrine in which the worship of demons, in particular Devi, plays an important role, as well as a mystical form of Vajrayana Buddhism. Important in Northeast India after the 8th century AD, and still practiced in Mongolia, Tibet and Nepal. It expanded the Buddhist pantheon and emphasizes the worship of shakti, whilst placing greater importance on the esoteric practices based on ...for more order our CDrom... 1. Thai for 'foot' or 'pedestal'. 2.
Thai for 'to lean on'. In this regard it can be used as a prefix for
the name of deities or gods, on who one leans in need. It can than be
written Tao (道) Chinese. 'Right way'. The all embracing, ultimate and primordial principle of Taoism. Thai for tofu. An influential philosophy in China probably founded in the 4th century BC by Lao Tzu (fig.) and advocating humility and religious piety. The Tao-te Ching forms the basis of Taoism, in which Tao is the comprehensive ultimate and primordial principle. Its objective is to become one with the Tao by comprehending the universal law that everything returns to its source. Follower of Taoism. The distinguished old man who came from his abode in the Himalayas to arbitrate the differences between Ramachandra and the demon king. Thai name for the fishtail palm. The old king with seven daughters from the story of Santhong. Also known as king Benares. Thai. The oven stoked up to heat the pans used to process sugar from the bud of the coconut palm (fig.). 'Tao' means oven, 'ta' is the bud of the tree that produces the fruits and 'waan' sugary or sweet.
Tao-te Ching (道德经) Chinese. 'Book of the way'. Book that forms the basis for the philosophy of Taoism and is attributed to its founder Lao Tzu. Thai for a kind of kiln used in Sawankhalok.
Starch gained from the thickened root of the manioc. Also tapioca starch and cassava. In Thai paengman. See tapioca. Thai. A drum with a double drum head, horizontally placed in a holder and played with both hands whilst sitting on the floor.
See Anek Kusala Sala. 1. Sanskrit. 'One who enables crossover'. In Vajrayana Buddhism there are five goddesses named Tara, corresponding to the five jinas or transcendental buddhas. They are the consorts of the five great bodhisattvas who were created by the jinas and hold the rank of a bodhisattva. In Tibetan Buddhism there are 21 forms of Tara, each with a different colour, posture, and attribute. They can have either peaceful or wrathful appearances. The most frequent forms are Green Tara and ...for more order our CDrom... 2. Wife of the monkey king Valin in the Indian epic Ramakien. See pheuak. Another pronunciation for Trut. Thai. Term for a buddha or Buddha, derived from the Sanskrit word Tathagata. Sanskrit word meaning a buddha or Buddha. In Thai Tatakot. Thai. 'Cutting the hair tuft'. In religious context the term refers to prince Siddhartha who cut his hair after the Great Departure, thus giving up his secular life to start his spiritual existence. See also Pittih Kohnjuk.
See sak. The heaven of 33 gods presided over by Indra. It's a place on the summit of the mythical Mt. Meru and one of the heavens that can be reached by accumulated merit. The Buddha spent one rainy season there preaching to his mother who had died shortly after his birth. The Buddha descending from Tavatimse heaven is often portrayed in Southeast Asian art and was the starting point for the creation of the walking Buddha image that originated in ...for more order our CDrom... Thai. 'To present, to dedicate'. Term used when the receiver is a prince or monk, as in tawaai phra traipidok. If the recipient is a king, the correct term is toonklaw tawaai or nomklaw tawaai. See paang tawaai naet. tawaai phra traipidok (ถวายพระไตรปิฎก) Thai. To present (tawaai) a volume of the Tripitaka (traipidok) to a monk, as a form of tamboon.
An ancient Buddhist centre of learning in present day Pakistan, nowadays in ruins. Burmese. Small pavilions located within Buddhist temple complexes in Burma. See cha. Tropical hardwood (fig.). Due to its good quality it is used for furniture as well as art (fig.), especially for making very detailed reliefs (fig.). According to some sources it is the tree under which Siddhartha was born (fig.) and of which Maha Maya holds a branch standing during the delivery, a scene often depicted in art (fig.). Other sources however state that Maha Maya reached out to pick a flower of the Ashoka blossom when the prince was born. In Thai mai sak and sometimes called djatiwood.
In Thai ton mai sak. See teak. Nickname for the frangipani tree, often grown in temples grounds.
Large drum in temples and monasteries usually kept in the drum tower or ho klong (fig.). The most common is called klong aew. Name of a small tropical antlike social insect of the genus isoptera called macrotermes. They live in large colonies inside a termite mound. In Thai called pluak.
Home to a small tropical antlike social insect called termite (fig.). Termites live in large colonies and do not feed on wood as is commonly believed but on fungus, as they lack enzymes in their intestines to break down wood cellulose. Inside a termite mound there are several chambers, including a nest chamber and humid food chambers used to cultivate fungus. These fungus gardens are supplied with wood fiber, hence the confusion with regard to their nourishment. Termites are heavily preyed upon by other insects, reptiles, birds and even larger mammals, such as the pangolin and some bears. Worker termites build and maintain the chambers as well as a labyrinth of tunnels leading to them. Soldier termites have the important task of defending the termite mound from enemies and for that reason have enlarged jaws. Unlike ants termite workers may be of either sex, but only one male and female in the entire colony reproduce: the queen with her distended abdomen produces eggs and the king fertilizes them. At certain times, often at sundown during the rainy season, the nest will send out large swarms of winged offspring to ...for more order our CDrom...
Italian. 'Baked earth'. Hard orange brown clay used in architectural decorations, sculpturing and pottery. Sometimes spelled terra-cotta. Greek term for a building with four gable ends. See also jaturamuk. Thai. 'Charcoal'. Burnt wood used as a fuel. The process of carbonizing the wood takes place in a oven underneath the ground and takes several hours. Charcoal is mainly used by street vendors using a small charcoal brazier for cooking food on, and in foundries.
thaat (ธาตุ) See that. Thai for lintel. 1. Thai for pomegranate, the name of a tropical tree and its fruit, of the genus punica. The fruit has a thick and tough rind, and inside it has many seeds with a reddish pulp varying in colour from deep crimson to pale rose, hence its name which derived from French means 'many-seeded apple'. The reddish-pink flesh covering the seeds is translucent and juicy and tastes either sweet or sweet and slightly sour. The tree fruits during the rainy season.
2. Thai name for ruby, a rare transparent precious stone varying in colour from deep crimson to pale rose. Thai. Base, pedestal or altar. See also tahn. Thahng Chang Peuak (ทางช้างเผือก) Thai. 'Path of the White Elephant'. Thai name for the Milky Way. Thahng Rot Fai Mareutayu (ทางรถไฟมฤตยู) Thai for Death Railway. Thailand is a unified kingdom, previously known by the name Siam. It was officially established in 1238 AD, the traditional founding date. The kingdom is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been colonized by a European power. It is located in Southeast Asia, southeast of Burma, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, and covers an area of 514,000 km², whereof 511,770 km² is land and 2,230 km² is water. Of 4,000 km water ways 3,701 km are navigable throughout the year by b |
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