LL-L "Etymology" 2002.05.12 (06) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 12.MAY.2002 (06) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

I looked up 'ladybird' in _Chambers Concise English-Scots Dictionary_
and came up with some really interesting ones too:

(1) leddy launners
    (_leddy_ 'lady' -- What is _launners_? "Landers"?)

(2) (reid) sodger
    ("(red?) soldier")

(3) clock leddy
    ("clock lady"?)

(4) king('s) doctor Ellison
    (northwestern dialects -- There must be an interesting story behind
    this one.)

This particular animal seems to inspire a lot of creativity, tends to be
a good luck symbol (because it is good for the garden, i.e., eats
aphids?) and obviously is connected with divinity, (the Low Saxon and
Dutch versions I have mentioned, plus French _coccinelle_ ~ _bête à bon
Dieu_ "Good God's critter," Upper Sorbian _boz^e sl/ónc^ko_ "God's sun
one," Lower Sorbian _bogowa wacka_ "God's (flying) bug," Russian
_boz^"ja korovka_ "God's (little) cow," cf. Low Saxon _Herrgottskoh_
'id.'), in some cases Christian divinity, namely with reference to Mary
("Our Lady"), e.g., German _Marienkäfer_ ("Mary's beetle"), Danish
_mariehøne_ ("Mary's hen"), hence references to "lady."  Interestingly,
this has spread to non-Christian spheres, e.g., Turkish _hanIm böceg^I_
("lady bug").

Why references to "hen" and "cow"?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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