[Lexicog] lady bug

[Jan F. Ullrich]

	> Well, it's in Holub and Lyer's Stručný etymologický slovník jazyka
českého.
	> I didn't make it up.

	OK. My edition of Holu and Lyer's dictionary (1978) says that
'beruška' is an expressive of 'brounk', not a diminutive.
	But I use the etymological dictionary by Jiří Retzel, published by
LEDA in 2001.
	Retzel commnets on Holub/Lyer often and corrects them frequently. I
am not an authority on Czech etymology, but Retzel's dictionary does seem to
be more advanced and updated.

	Jan




> 	-----Original Message-----
> 	From: lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com] 
> 	Sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 10:12 AM
> 	To: lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com
> 	Subject: RE: [Lexicog] lady bug
> 
> 	Nick,
> 
> 	I don't want to sound like a native speaker who murmurs against a
> non-native linguist repeatedly. That is not my intention.
> 	Nevertheless, 'beruška' does not sound like "a diminutive of 'brouk'
> ('beetle')" to my native ear. Checking the word in the Czech Etymological
> dictionary reveals that the origin of the word is unclear, with two or
> three theoretically possible, but unproven options.
> 	By the way, the older version of beruška is berunka, and an even
> older one is bedrunka, still used here in the Wallachian dialect.
> 
> 	Jan
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 		 -----Original Message-----
> 		From: 	lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com] 
> 		Sent:	Friday, September 16, 2005 9:41 AM
> 		To:	lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com
> 		Subject:	RE: [Lexicog]  lady bug
> 
> 		In Czech ladybird is 'beruška'- just a diminutive of 'brouk'
> - 'beetle'
> 
> 		Do you know this info?:
> 		"Now about the words "ladybug" and "ladybird." Our "ladybug"
> is the supposedly inelegant corruption of "ladybird," so the main question
> deals with the etymology of "ladybird." "Ladybird" is itself a sort of
> corruption of the term "Our Lady's Bird," with "Our Lady" being understood
> to be the Virgin Mary. The idea apparently is that ladybugs are so pretty
> that they're worthy of being associated with The Virgin. This notion flows
> through other cultures as well. The French call ladybugs "les betes du bon
> Dieu," or "creatures of the good God," and "les vaches de la Vierge," or
> "cows of the Virgin." The Germans call them "Marienkäfer," or "Mary's
> beetles." "
> 		The link is http://www.backyardnature.net/n/03/031228.htm
> written by one Jim Conrad
> 
> 		Nick Miller << File: avast info.txt >>  << File: avast
> info.txt >> 


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