LL-L "Etymology" 2006.02.17 (05) [E]

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   L O W L A N D S - L * 17 February 2006 * Volume 05
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From: Kevin Caldwell <kevin.caldwell1963 at verizon.net>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2006.02.17 (04) [D/E]

>From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Etymology
>
>Rikus, Arend and everyone else,
>
>Old Saxon has two words apparently denoting different types of leg
>coverings:
>
>(1) hosa (supposedly 'hose')
>     cf. OEng., OGerm., ONor. hosa)
>
>(2) br?ka (supposedly 'trousers' or 'breeches')
>     cf. OEng. br?ec, br?c, OFris. br?k, pl. br?k, MDu. broec,
>     OGerm. bruh, ONor. br?k
>

Interestingly, the Russian word for pants or trousers is 'bryuki' 
(брюки). Sock is 'nosok' 
(носок).

>I suspect Dutch _kouse_ to be derived from *_kolsa_ and/or *_kalsa_ and as
>such is related to archaic English _calzoons_, derived from Romanic; cf.
>French _cal?on_, _cale?on_, _chausse_, Spanish _calza_, _calzones_,
>Portuguese _cal?a_, _cal??es_, Italian _calza_, _calzoni_, Late Latin
>_calciones_ < *_calcea_.  These denoted mostly drawers, early forms of
>trousers, namely leggings with sewn-in crotch covering.

How did the _calzone_ (pizza dough filled with sauce, cheese, and other 
stuff, folded over, sealed, and baked) get its name? It doesn't look like 
any sort of garment.

Kevin Caldwell

----------

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

Hey, Kevin!

Funky encoding mode there, bro.  Can't figure it out.

That's an interesting question about calzone, one I have wrestled with for 
quite some time (weighty matter that it is).  Well, we're in good company, 
for apparently etymologists all over the world have wrestled with it with no 
apparent end in sight.  I have my own little hypothesis, goes without 
saying, given that I'm from the land of the dwarsdryvers.

Look at the Italian words of this group:

calza 'stocking' (< 'hose') [> pl. calze]
calzamaglia 'tights' [> pl. calzamaglie]
calzatura 'footwear'
calzaturificio 'shoe factory'
calzante 'fitting'; 'shoehorn'
calzare 'to fit'
calzettoni 'kneesocks' [< sg. *calzettone]
calzino 'sock' [> pl. calzini]
calzolaio 'cobbler', 'shoemaker'
calzoleria 'shoe store'
calzoncini 'underpants' [< sg. *calzoncino]
CALZONE 'folded-over pizza' [> pl. calzoni]
calzoni pants, trousers [< sg. *calzone]

The culinary calzone comes from Italy's Campania region and is called 
_casone_ in  Neapolitan, the plural form _casoni_ meaning 'trousers', too.

As you can tell by the semantic range within the group of words, we're 
dealing with foot- and legwear generally, but the "petrified" derived words 
seem to point toward footwear.  From my early-life studies of the history of 
clothing I can tell that the difference between "shoe" and "sock" used to be 
vague (not including sandals here) in medieval Eurasia.  Mostly these were 
"foot pouches" out of woven material or out of leather.  In actual fact, 
look at the Latinate English word _calceolate_.  This describes flower 
petals, typically orchid petals that are shaped like pouches and have names 
such as "lady's slipper."  The origin is Latin _calceolus_, the diminutive 
form of _calceus_ 'shoe', from _calc-_ ~ _calx_ (< _calcs_) 'heel'.

So here is my 32 cents' worth of explanation.  The culinary calzone began as 
a slab of flattened dough with toppings, either folded over after topping or 
folded up to an open pouch and then filled before being closed up and then 
baked (or deep-fried in some regions).  At any rate, it was a pouch whose 
construction reminded people of the way shoes were made at the time (Italian 
renaissance or earlier), most of which were leather pouches with thin soles 
or without soles.  You might call them "shoes" or "socks."  You get the 
drift.

Take a look at medieval and renaissance long-toed shoes:
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/APP5.HTM

So I think it's "foot pouch" (i.e., shoe/sock) rather than "pant leg."

Stuff that in your calzone and eat it!

Buon appetito!

Rinardo/Reinhard/Ron

***

One of the first Italian songs I ever learned and still remember:

   |: Io mi sono un poveretto
   senza casa e senza letto. :|
   |: Venderei i miei calzoni
   per un sol piatto di maccheroni. :|

Impromptu translation:

   |: I'm a poor, deprived little fellow
   without house and without bed. :|
   |: I would surely sell my shoes/socks/pants
   for a single plate of maccheroni. :| 

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