LL-L: "Etymology" LOWLANDS-L, 30.NOV.2000 (06) [D/E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 30.NOV.2000 (06) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: FryskeRie Friesenrat [fryskerie at altavista.com]
Subject: LL-L: "Etymology" LOWLANDS-L

> I am not sure if _Katt_ ('cat') can also be used to denote a type of whip, but
> I assume it could in older varieties.  (I'm sort of sure _Katze_ can in
> German.)  Nor do I know if there is or ever used to be a verb *_katten_.  Does
> anyone else know?

Zeer waarschijnlijk. De 'cat o' nine tails' loopt ook in de Lage Landen rond
als 'kat met negen staarten'.

Henk Wolf
henkwolf at altavista.com

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From: niels winther [niels.winther at dfds.dk]
Subject: LL-L: "Etymology"

Ron wrote:
> I am not sure if _Katt_ ('cat') can also be used
> to denote a type of whip, but I assume it could
> in older varieties.  (I'm sort of sure _Katze_ can
> in German.)  Nor do I know if there is or ever used
> to be a verb *_katten_.  Does anyone else know?

Cat-o'-nine-tails is of course a pun or folk etymology.

Danish _kat_ English _cat_ in this sense must be related to
Latin and Italian _catena_ ;
cousins: French _chaine_ , English _chain_ , Dutch _ketting_
and also HG _kette_ , Danish _kæde_ , Swedish _kedja_ ;

but if we must drop this etymological line,
and think of a quartet in stead,
there is some Dutch evidence.
An excerpt from Van Dale:
---------------------------------------------------------
 _katern_

 de & het; -en

 1717 Oud-Fr. quaterne (telkens vier);
 door de vellen éénmaal te vouwen ontstaan per vel
 vier bladzijden   en vormen de vier vellen dus zestien
 bladzijden.

   aantal (oorspr. vier) in elkaar gevouwen vellen
   als deel van een handschrift of boek.
---------------------------------------------------------

rgds
niels

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Etymology

Niels wrote:

> Danish _kat_ English _cat_ in this sense must be related to
> Latin and Italian _catena_ ;
> cousins: French _chaine_ , English _chain_ , Dutch _ketting_
> and also HG _kette_ , Danish _kæde_ , Swedish _kedja_

Low Saxon (Low German): Kede / Käde ['k`e:de] ~ Keed' / Kääd' [k`e:.d] ~
[k`e:.]

Theoretically -- given the already discussed weakness of Low Saxon /d/ --
there ought to be the variant *_Käe_ ['k`e:e] ~ ['k`e:@] (analogous with
_Lüde_ > _Lüe_ ~ _Löe_ 'people', 'folks'), but I do not know if it really
exists.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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