this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2023
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[โ€“] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

In Dutch, the term for civil engineering works, especially in infrastructure is "kunstwerk", as in an artificial work like a concrete wall, a steel overpass, a masonry canal, etc. That sets it apart from an earthwork, like a ditch, berm or other feature.

But "kunstwerk" also means "work of art", as in the Mona Lisa or The Scream. And thats a regular, non-jargon word. So that occasionally leads to fun when I tell someine I recently worked on a "work of art" on the highway near Amsterdam, and people look at me really weird. Or I use a phrase like "well, you can really stack dirt that high, so we'll have to design some art to fix the problem".

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Similar things are true in german. We have "Ingenieurs-kunst", which literally means "art of engineering", and it's a common word. But also, "Kunst" means art like in Painting, etc.