LL-L "Etymology" 2005.10.26 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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27 October 2005 * Volume 02
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From: Gustaaf van Moorsel <gvanmoor at aoc.nrao.edu>
Subject: LL-L etymology

Dear Lowlanders,

Today's word on a-word-a-day is Nychtemeron, a period of 24 hours.
here is the Wordsmith description:

> This week's theme: There is a word for it.
>
> nychthemeron (nik-THEM-er-on) noun
>
>    A full period of a day and night: 24 hours.
>
> [From Greek, a combination of nykt- (night) and hemera (day).]

In Dutch we have a common word for this: etmaal.  The only other
language I know that has something similar is Swedish: dygn.  Are
there cognates of 'etmaal' in other Lowland languages?  Does the
concept even exist?

Groeten uit het zonnige zuidwesten van de VS,

Gustaaf van Moorsel

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

Ha, die Gustaaf!

Thanks for that "weird" word!

I have come across Low Saxon _etmaal_ (<Etmahl>, <Ettmahl>) a few times. 
But I think this is now archaic and obscure, at least on the German side of 
the border.

In the same sense, Danish has _døgn_, and both Norwegian languages have 
_døgn_ as well.

And here the plot thickens ...

The ancestor of the Scandinavian words above is Old Norse _dœgn_, with the 
variant _dœgr_. According to my sources, it denotes *half* a day, namely 12 
hours, not 24 hours!  It appears to be connected with a word for 'to burn' 
(Indo-European *_d_hegŭ_h-_), which is the origin of _dagr_ 'day' as well'.

Cheers!
Reinhard/Ron 

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