nookie

[Beverly Flanigan]

At 01:45 PM 1/2/01 -0800, you wrote:
> > >Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OAK.CATS.OHIOU.EDU> writes:
> > >
> > > >>>>>
> > >Oh dear--we used to pronounce the name of the German-made pacifier our son
> > >used (a Nuk) as [nUk].  I wonder where the brand name came from, and if
> > >other users were as naive as we were?
>
>We did too, as did others who had babies in Germany. It's from _nuckeln_
>'suck slowly,' perhaps connected with _suckle_, which German has in
>_suckeln_, belonging to _saugen_ 'suck.' Pons (Wb. d.dt. Ugs.) notes that
>_Nuckel_ is also the breast of a breast-feeding mother and says it (the
>word, not the breast) has been in use since ca. 1700. I don't have Grimm
>Dt. Wb. at hand, but could check on that if you like.
>
>Peter R.

What a relief!  And it's good to know the word has a positive reference,
i.e., to something above the waist. . . .

_____________________________________________
Beverly Olson Flanigan         Department of Linguistics
Ohio University                     Athens, OH  45701
Ph.: (740) 593-4568              Fax: (740) 593-2967
http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/linguistics/dept/flanigan.htm