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Spa vs Kursaal - What's the difference?

spa | kursaal |

As nouns the difference between spa and kursaal

is that spa is a health resort near a mineral spring or hot spring while kursaal is a public hall or building for the use of visitors at health resorts or spas; a casino.

As a proper noun Spa

is a town located in the Belgian province of Liège, famous for its springs.

spa

English

(wikipedia spa)

Etymology 1

The term is derived from the name of the Belgian town of , where since medieval times illnesses caused by iron deficiency were treated by drinking chalybeate (iron bearing) spring water. In 16th century England the old Roman ideas of medicinal bathing were revived at towns like Bath, and in 1571 William Slingsby who had been to the Belgian town (which he called Spaw'') discovered a chalybeate spring in Yorkshire. He built an enclosed well at what became known as Harrogate, the first resort in England for drinking medicinal waters, then in 1596 Dr. Timothy Bright called the resort ''The English Spaw'', beginning the use of the word ''Spa'' as a generic description rather than as the place name of the Belgian town. At first this term referred specifically to resorts for water drinking rather than bathing, but this distinction was gradually lost and many ''spas offer external remedies. There are various stories about the origin of the name. A Belgian spring of iron bearing water was called Espa'' from the (etyl) term for "fountain", and was used in 1326 as a cure by an iron master with such success that he founded a health resort that developed into the town. It has also been suggested that the term ''Espa may be derived from the name of the resort, and that its source could be the (etyl) word spargere meaning "to scatter, sprinkle or moisten".

Noun

(en noun)
  • A health resort near a mineral spring or hot spring.
  • A trendy or fashionable resort.
  • A health club.
    • Synonyms
    * health club * resort

    See also

    * caldarium * pump room

    Etymology 2

    Shortened form of spastic

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (Ireland, slang) A clumsy person (see spastic)
  • (Ireland, slang) An idiot
  • (Ireland, slang) A gobshite

    • Anagrams

    * * * * * ----

    kursaal

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A public hall or building for the use of visitors at health resorts or spas; a casino
  • :* {{quote-book
    • , year=1871 , year_published=2001 , edition=Reprint , editor= , author=Ouida , title=Chandos , chapter= citation , genre=Fiction , publisher=Elibron , isbn=9781402175046 , page=343 , passage=It was not the polished serenity of fashionable kursaals , the impassive languor of aristocratic gaming-tables, the self-destruction taken with a light word, of the salles of Baden, of Homburg, of Monaco; it was gambling in all its unreined fever, … }}
  • :* {{quote-book
    • , year=2001 , year_published=2007 , edition=Digitized , editor= , author=Mies van der Rohe Foundation , title=European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture--Mies van der Rohe Award , chapter= citation , genre=Architecture , publisher=Fundació Mies van der Rohe , isbn= , page= , passage=Kursaal is a German word for casino, and a cosmopolitan term that became popular in the Belle Epoque. }} ----