LL-L "Etymology" 2008.04.05 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

=========================================================================
L O W L A N D S - L - 05 April 2008 - Volume 04
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please set the encoding mode to Unicode (UTF-8).
If viewing this in a web browser, please click on
the html toggle at the bottom of the archived page.
=========================================================================

From: Ingmar Roerdinkholder <ingmar.roerdinkholder at WORLDONLINE.NL>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2008.04.05 (03) [D/E]

In Dutch, we have "lak" = lacquer, varnish (Dutch has "vernis", too),
but not the second meaning. But might the second "lack" have anything to
do with Dutch "lek" = E. leak, and/or German "Loch" = hole. Leaks and
holes are a kind of omissions and defects as wel, aren't they?

Ingmar

Reindert schreef:

There are two Low Saxon nouns* lak* (*Lack*):

  1. lacquer, varnish
  2. lack, omission, fault, defect, blemish

----------

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

Thanks, Ingmar.

English "lack" first appeared written at the end of the 12th century (*lac*),
during the transition from Old English to Middle English. Some people
believe it to be an Early Middle Dutch loan, namely *lak* 'deficiency',
'fault' (!!!). However, others believe it goes back directly to
Proto-Germanic **laka-* 'to lack' (> Old Norse *lakr* 'fault').

*Lok* (cf. German *Loch*, etc.) 'hole' is related to English "lock". Gothic
has *usluks* 'opening', Old German *loh* 'dungeon', Swedish *lock* 'locking
device', 'lid', etc. So there's a semantic relationship between the noun
"opening" (also in English  "lock" = "sluice") and the act of securing,
locking (cf. Old German *lūhhan* 'to lock'). It is also related to German *
Luke* 'hatch' and *Lücke* 'gap'. And then it's related to English "lock (of
hair)" and its relatives (e.g. Dutch *lok*, LS *lok/Lock*, German
*Locke*'curl'). All this goes back to Indo-European *
*leug-* 'to bend', 'to turn', thus is related also to Lithuanian
*lùgnas*'bendable', 'flexible', and Latin
*luxus* 'bent thing', 'twisted behavior', 'excess'. So the original semantic
focus seems to have been on "locking," such as "lid."

I consider it unlikely, albeit not impossible, that the following words are
related to the above: Gaelic *loch* (inlet, gorge, lake) and Romance **lak-*(
*lacus*, *lago*, etc.) 'lake', Latin *lacuna* 'hole', 'pit' (> Spanish *
laguna* > English "lagoon"), etc., all going back to Indo-European
**lak-*'basin' > Old Norse
*lögr* 'flood water', Old English *lacu* 'stream', *lagu* 'flood',
*leccan*'to moisten', related to "leak" as well as Dutch
*lek*, LS *lek* (*Leck* > German *Leck*), etc., and these are probably
related to the "lick" group.

If there is a connection with the "lack" group seems to be uncertain. It
doesn't seem impossible to me.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20080405/4b2c33f0/attachment.htm>