LL-L "Etymology" 2002.10.26 (08) [D/E]

Sat Oct 26 21:53:39 UTC 2002

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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
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From: Luc Hellinckx <luc.hellinckx at pandora.be>
Subject: Etymology

A "makker" is rather a "matchmaker" than a "whoremonger" (pun intended),
that's how I would like to synthesize the following explanation *s*.

First some English data :

1) from http://machaut.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/WEBSTER.sh?WORD=Make

MAKE (Page: 885)
Make (?), n. [AS. maca, gemaca. See Match.] A companion; a mate; often, a
husband or a wife. [Obs.]

For in this world no woman is Worthy to be my make. Chaucer.

2) from The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology :

MATCH1 A. mate, fellow OE.; person equal or corresponding XIII; B. matching
of adversaries XIV; contest; matrimonial alliance XVI. OE. gemæcca :- Gmc.
*Gamakjan-, rel. to *Gamakan- (OE. gemaca, dial. make match, mate; corr. to
OS. gimaco, OHG. gimahho fellow, equal), sb. use of *Gamakaz (OE. gemæc,
OHG. gimah well-matched, G. gemach easy, comfortable), f. *Ga- Y- + *mak-
fitting, see MAKE. Hence match vb. join as a pair or one of a pair in
marriage, combat, etc. XIV.

Now some Flemish data :

1) from Algemeen Vlaamsch Idioticon :

MAKKEN, vanwaar : makker, bet. omstr. Kortrijk : vriendmaken. Het is een
andere uitspraak van maken, dat Kil. vert. door : transigere, pacisci,
componere en conciliare.

MAKKE m., iemand die mak is, d.i. een korte, dikke, stijve of trage jongen :
toe, makke, kom wat gauwer. Hij is een eerse makke of luiaard (Brab. en
elders). Het woord is verwant met maf (sic) en met gemak.

2) from Loquela :

MAKKEN, makte, gemakt. = Overeen komen, mak zijn of worden tegenover
malkaar.- Die twee en makken niet. Zij makken lijk honden en katten. Geh.
Eecloo. Het w. makken is in 't Engelsch vertegenwoordigd door to match en
verwant aan maken, maat, gemak, enz.

3) from Nederland Etymologisch Woordenboek :

MAKKER znw. m. Het oudste voorbeeld is mackerscap in 1565 (Scheveningen):
Kiliaen kent holl. macker, maar geeft als bet. op maggher 'koopman'. Dit zal
wel gelijke te stellen zijn aan mangher, dat evenals mnd. manger, oe.
mangere < mlat. *mangarius naast manganus, vgl. os. mangon, oe. mangian
'handel drijven' < mlat. mangonare. - Dit woord verklaart echter noch de
vorm noch de betekenis van makker, dat men eerder zal moeten verbinden met
os. gimako, ohd. gimahho, oe. gemaca 'maat, makker' (en gemæcca 'maat,
genoot, echtgenoot'), waarvoor zie verder : gemak en maken. - > nhd. macker
'wie een ander gezelschap houdt' (sedert 1771, vgl. Kluge, Seemannsprache
563).

So, a "makker" is somebody who "matches you". Whereas "ne mààt" (B), "een
maat" (D), "a mate" (E) is originally not just somebody you mate with, but
rather somebody you ate "meat" with...which on its turn was primarily done
with a knife, a so called "mes" in Dutch or a "Messer" in German...which was
actually a "meteseax" in Old English, where the second part denotes a
"cutter", the word after which Sachsen, Sassen and Saksen have been
named...the circle is round *s*...

Greetings,

Luc Hellinckx

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Thanks for your input, too, Luc!

So I assume it is correct to assume the following:

Germanic */mak(j)-/ *makjon ~ *makjan *'to match' >
   *gamakjon ~ *gamakjan *'matched' > *'fit', *'suitable' >
   Old Saxon _(ge)maca_ 'mate', 'companion' (>)
   Old English _gemæcca_ 'mate', 'companion' >
      Modern English "match"
      Scots _mak(e)_ 'mate', 'companion'
      Modern Dutch _makker_ 'matchmaker' > 'merchant' ~ 'mate'
      Modern Lowlands Saxon _mack_ 'fit (to handle)', 'tame'
          _Macker_ ~ _makker_ ('matchmaker' > 'merchant' ~) 'mate'

Scots did not participate in k-palatalization (we find in English and
Frisian), hence (OE _gemæcca_ >) ME "match" = MS _mak(e)_, (Greek _kurikon_
> Germanic *_kirika_ > OE _cir(i)ce_ >) ME "church", MS _kirk_ (WFries
_tserke_).

Luc:

> So, a "makker" is somebody who "matches you". Whereas "ne mààt" (B), "een
> maat" (D), "a mate" (E) is originally not just somebody you mate with, but
> rather somebody you ate "meat" with...which on its turn was primarily done
> with a knife, a so called "mes" in Dutch or a "Messer" in German...which
> was actually a "meteseax" in Old English, where the second part denotes a
> "cutter", the word after which Sachsen, Sassen and Saksen have been
> named...the circle is round *s*...

Indeed!  Germanic *_mat-_ 'measure' > *_matiz_ ~ *_matam_ > Old Saxon _mat_
~ _meti_ 'food' (Old German _maZi_ 'food', Old Norse _matr_ > Scand.
_mat(ur)_) > Modern Lowlands Saxon (Low German) _Mett_ 'chopped pork_ (>
German _Mett_ 'chopped pork_)
> "short sword for cutting meat": Old English _meteseax_, Old German
_meZZisahs_ ~ _meZZirahs_ (> _meZZer_ > MG _Messer_ 'knife'), Old Saxon
_metiseahs_ (> MLS _Metz_ ~ _Mess_ 'knife'; cf. OS _sahs_, OE _seax_, ON
_sax_ 'short sword' > "Saxon" (cf. Mod.Scand. _saks_ ~ _sax_ ~ _sakser_
(pl.) 'scissors' < Med.Saxon?, cf. Icelandic _skæri_ 'scissors', cf.
Mod.Germ. _Schere_, Mod.English _shears_, cf. Dano-Norw. _skjære_ 'to cut',
etc.

I wonder if Medieval German _metze_ '(female) companion (of a male)' >
'whore' is in any way related to the above, i.e., to "match".

Regards and thanks,
Reinhard/Ron

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