LL-L "Etymology" 2003.12.09 (07) [D/E]

[Lowlands-L]

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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: "Gustaaf Van Moorsel" <gvanmoor at aoc.nrao.edu>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2003.12.09 (05) [E]

to Peter Snepvangers:

> Hello Ron and Lowlanders,
> I came across 2 words that I have never heard in speech before. They may
be
> commonly used, but I have never heard them used by Nederlanders here in
> Australia and found them in an old Dutch/Swedish recipe book from my
father.
> Could you tell me from where the words originated and the variants in
> Frisian and Limburgs. They are "smeuig" and "ouwel".

Ron replied:

> I'm sure others will be better able to answer, but let me give it a
quick
> whirl first off.  Of course it would have helped if you had given us the
> meaning of the words.  Or don't you know them?
>
> I am wondering if those words are Lowlands Saxon.
>
> _Smeuig_ makes me think of Lowlands Saxon (Low German) _smöydig_
(<smödig>)

That seems correct.  Smeuig means 'easy to spread', used for food
items such as peanut butter or pate.  It is also used in a figurative
sense which I find hard to translate: 'een smeuig verhaal' is a story
made interesting by adding or stressing gory or explicit details.

> _Ouwel_ makes me think of Lowlands Saxon _övel_ ~ _öbel_ ~ _ovel_
'evil',
> 'bad', 'nasty', 'disgusting', but perhaps it is related to _old_ (<oold>
~
> <ool> ~ <ouel>) 'old'.

Ouwel is edible paper, probably a rice product, which I believe is used
in the Catholic Eucharist.

Gustaaf

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

Gustaaf (above):

> That seems correct.  Smeuig means 'easy to spread', used for food
> items such as peanut butter or pate.  It is also used in a figurative
> sense which I find hard to translate: 'een smeuig verhaal' is a story
> made interesting by adding or stressing gory or explicit details.

That makes sense to me, considering that _smöydig_ seems to have originated
as _smydig_ (cf. Dutch _smijdig_, Afrikaans _smydig_, German _geschmeidig_,
English _smooth_) and as _smöydig_ specifically can describe pretty much
anything that "hits the spot," anything that gives relief or pleasure ...
Well, perhaps not *any*thing ... I take it you get the drift.

Ouwel is edible paper, probably a rice product, which I believe is used
in the Catholic Eucharist.

Mathieu:

> Ouwel: g.mv. (stofnaam) dun, plat gebak van blank, ongezuurd tarwemeel,
> gewoonlijk helder wit. Synoniem: eetpapier.
> Ouwel wordt in langwerpig-vierkante bladen in de handel gebracht. In de
> geneeskunde wordt ouwel gebruikt voor cachets, om slecht smakende poeders
> gemakkelijker in te kunnen nemen.

Gustaaf:

> Ouwel is edible paper, probably a rice product, which I believe is used
> in the Catholic Eucharist.

Ah!  It's _Oblate_ in German, "host" in English, namely edible paper (made
of wheat or rice), originally used during the Eucharist, now also used as a
foundation in secular baking.  I assume it is derived from Latin _oblāta_,
the feminine form of adjectival _oblātus_ (< _ob+lāt-_), describing it as a
flattened sphere, thus a flattened ball (of dough), also fitting as
something that is offered (< _offerre_, as in English "oblate," "oblation,"
etc.).

I have no idea what the Lowlands Saxon (Low German) equivalent is.  Anyone
else?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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