LL-L "Etymology" 2007.10.09 (02) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L  -  09 October 2007 - Volume 02
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From: Theo Homan <theohoman at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2007.10.08 (08) [E/LS]

From: R. F. Hahn < sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language politics
>
>[...]
>
>knaster = tobacco

Hallo,

OK, Reinhard,
knaster = tobacco.
But where did you get this word?

vr.gr.
Theo Homan

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

Moyen, Theo!

You asked:

knaster = tobacco.
But where did you get this word?

Where did I get this word? From the lexical depository of my mind's language
processing plant. ;-)

Where did Low Saxon get it?  There are some indications that Low Saxon and
German (or German via Low Saxon) got it from Dutch. In the 17th century, it
turns up in writing as Canastertobac and then as Knastertobak. At that time
it was an especially fine, aromatic and thus coveted type of tobacco that
was contained in pieces of cane. German student jargon then gave it the
opposite meaning: 'roughly cut, bad-smelling, cheap tobacco' (the type that
students could afford and jokingly gave a prestigious name). So, if these
days you refer to Knaster instead of to Tobak or Tabak, it is most likely
derogatory, implying 'stinky'. Let me add that most of the time it denotes
pipe tobacco, but I've heard it used with reference to cigars and cigarettes
as well.

Apparently, the word goes back, probably via Dutch, to Spanish
canast(r)o(thus probably an American connection) which goes back to
Greek κάναστρων
(kánastrôn) 'basket woven from reeds' (cf. Modern Greek κανίστρο (kanístro)
'basket' > "cannister") going back to Greek κάννα (kánna) 'cane'.  This is
as much as I can find out.

Irrespective of whether this particular one is a Dutch loan or not, I think
it would be great to research which Dutch loans in Low Saxon arrived along
the west-east route and which arrived east long-distance through trade and
migration. Don't you think?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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