LL-L "Etymology" 2004.01.18 (06) [E]

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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: David Barrow <davidab at telefonica.net.pe>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2004.01.18 (04) [E]

>From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Etymology
>
>Hmmm ... something "weird" is going on with this "wrought," though, at
least
>in English.  Yes, it *is* the old past participial form of "to work" (< Old
>English _wyrcan_), but it survives as an archaism with somewhat specialized
>meanings: something like "forged" or "crafted"  in "wrought iron," with the
>meaning "affected" in expressions like "it wrought powerfully upon him,"
>with the meaning "resulted" or "fulfilled" in "it wrought her will" (i.e.,
>"it acomplished her purpose").  You can also say things like "the dough has
>been wrought thoroughly" instead of "the dough has been worked (i.e.,
>kneaded, etc.) thoroughly," if you insist on an archaic style.  And then
>there is the surviving noun "wright" meaning "maker" or "craftsman," as in
>"shipwright," "wheelwright" and "playwright" ... semantically not identical
>with "worker."
>
>I keep wondering if there has been some ancient "fusion" of two verbs,
>considering also Lowlands Saxon (Low German): _warke(l)n_ ('to work' >) 'to
>craft' versus _wrachten_ 'to work hard', 'to slave', 'to struggle'.
>
>Regards,
>Reinhard/Ron
>
Old English wyrcan had the sense of to make, construct, produce as well as
to work and these senses remain in wright from OE noun wyrhta  artist,
labourer, worker, maker, creator

David Barrow

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From: kcaldwell31 at comcast.net <kcaldwell31 at comcast.net>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2004.01.18 (04) [E]

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Etymology
>
> Hmmm ... something "weird" is going on with this "wrought," though, at
least
> in English.  Yes, it *is* the old past participial form of "to work" (<
Old
> English _wyrcan_), but it survives as an archaism with somewhat
specialized
> meanings: something like "forged" or "crafted"  in "wrought iron,"

This reminds me - I have seen a number of Americans write "rod iron" instead
of "wrought iron" (thanks to the American dental flap that makes the "t"
sound like a "d").  So perhaps "wrought" is becoming less familiar these
days.

Kevin Caldwell

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