LL-L "Etymology" 2004.06.07 (07) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 07.JUN.2004 (07) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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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: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Gabriele (under "False friends" today):

> The real German
> equivalent would have been "nützlich"; I suppose that German "Nutte",
> "whore", has the same root - someone who is used.

I'm afraid that, according to etymological sources, the origin appears to be
even more demeaning: it is a variant of Middle German _nuot_ > Modern German
_Nut_ ~ _Nute_ 'joint', 'chase', 'gap', 'groove', 'crack' ... 'nough said
...

Lowlands Saxon (Low German) has _nuut_ (<Nuut> < _nute_, f.) for the above
(i.e., the technical term), but apparently it has the demeaning variant only
as a probably recent loan from German, though German may have originally
borrowed it from LS (or else I would expect *_Nutze_).  The traditional LS
words for both the professional and "hobby" varieties are (_houre_ >) _hour_
(<Hoor> ~ <Huur> [hoU3] ~ [hu:3]) and the neuter gender derivation
_houren-minsch_ (<Horenminsch> ~ <Hoornminsch> ~ <Hurenminsch> ~
<Huurnminsch> ['hoU3nmInS] ~ ['hu:3nmInS]),* related to English (_hôre_ >)
_whore_, German (_huora_ >) _Hure_, Dutch/Afrikaans _hoer_, Danish _hore_,
Swedish _hora_, Icelandic _hóra_, etc. (< Germanic *_hôrôn_ < Indo-European
*_karo-s_ 'beloved', 'desired' < _ka-_ 'to desire', cf. Latvian _kãrs_
'lusting').

* _Minsch_ in the sense of 'human being' or 'person' (of either sex) has
masculine gender (thus takes the article _dey_ (<de> and the pronoun _hey_
(<he>)), while _minsch_ with neuter gender (taking the article _dat_ and the
pronoun _it_ ~ _et_ ~ _dat_) expresses 'woman' with contempt; e.g., _Dat
minsch dayt d'n heylen dag niks as ekstern_ 'That (dreadful) woman does
nothing all day but nag and yell' (literally "magpie-ing”).

Another word for "whore" or "prostitute" is _vouse_ ~ _vous'_ (_vose_ ~
_voos'_? <Fose> ~ <Foos>).  I do not use it, and I do not know its origin,
but I have the sneaking suspicion it's something nasty.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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