LL-L: "Etymology" [E] LOWLANDS-L, 27.AUG.1999 (04)

[Sandy Fleming]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 27.AUG.1999 (04) * ISSN 1089-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Frank Verhoft [frank.verhoft at ping.be]
Subject: "Etymology"

Beste Lagelanders,

I came across an unusual meaning of the English word "consumption" in a
1930s blues song, meaning tuberculosis, or TB(C). Obsolete even, since the
word was annotated in the booklet accompanying the CD.

The Dutch words "(ver)teren" and "tering" semantically parallel the Latin
based Eng. words "to consume"/"consumption". Also Portuguese has "consumir"
and "doenas (lit. diseases) consumptivas". "Tering" seems to have been
replaced by the term "tuberculose" in common speech, and later, at least
that's my impression, by "TBC", again for Euphemia's sake, and the word
"tering" seems to be reserved these days for cursing, as in "Krijg de
tering".
Words similar to Dutch "teren" seem to have been common in the old Germanic
dialects (OS "terian", OHG "zerren", OFr. "urtera", OE "teran" (>Eng. "to
tear"), Got. "gatairan"), though some (most?) of these have other but
semantically related meanings.

So, my question, do you have a pair or a set of related words in the local
language/dialect the root of which goes back to any of these and relates
both to "to consume" (or "to digest", "to eat", etc. etc...) and TBC?

I'm not a professional linguist, so i do apologize for the (unintended)
abuse of common linguistic terminology.

Alvast van harte bedankt.
Met vriendelijke groeten,

Frank Verhoft

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