LL-L "Etymology" 2008.11.03 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

===========================================
L O W L A N D S - L - 03 November 2008 - Volume 05
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
and switch your browser's character encoding to Unicode.
===========================================


From: Jonny <jonny.meibohm at arcor.de>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2008.11.03 (03) [E]

In my last mail I wrote:

some days ago I came across the Dutch word *_terugeisen_,* G:
'zurückfordern, zurückverlangen', E: 'to redemand'. In Standard German we
have *'los-eisen'* in a similar meaning (E: 'to pry sth. loose').

I wonder about the etymological background of this word - could it be
related to the noun G: 'Eisen', E: 'iron' around the meaning of
'loosening/breaking the chains' or 'escape from an iron trap', the latter
called also '(Fang-)Eisen' in German? Or is it from any complete different
roots?

Just an idea: could it be related to Old Saxon _ekson_ , meaning E: 'to
own', G: 'zu eigen sein/haben'? In our region the word LS 'Arv-exe', G:
'Erbexe' was used till the 19th century (but not in the village where I grew
up - there it was 'Erbsate' which I assume to be of Frisian roots). Both
meant 'land-owner by heritage'



Jonny Meibohm


----------

From: Marcus Buck <list at marcusbuck.org>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2008.11.03 (03) [E]

From: Jonny <jonny.meibohm at arcor.de <mailto:jonny.meibohm at arcor.de

>>



Subject: LL-L "Etymology"

Beste Lowlanners,

some days ago I came across the Dutch word */_terugeisen_,/* G:
'zurückfordern, zurückverlangen', E: 'to redemand'. In Standard German we
have /'los-eisen'/ in a similar meaning (E: 'to pry sth. loose').

I wonder about the etymological background of this word - could it be
related to the noun G: 'Eisen', E: 'iron' around the meaning of
'loosening/breaking the chains' or 'escape from an iron trap', the latter
called also '(Fang-)Eisen' in German? Or is it from any complete different
roots?

GRRRRimm doesnt't help this time :-(, so I have to depend on your
inspirations *s*!

Thanks in award and

Allerbest!

Jonny Meibohm



"loseisen" stems from the nautical language, from seamen having to make
their ships free from ice. "terugeisen" is related to German "heischen" ('to
beg', originally meaning 'to ask'). So they are not related.
The word would render as "eisch" or "heisch" in Low Saxon. We indeed have a
word "eisch" in Low Saxon. It means "naughty", "dirty", "bad". Is this word
perhaps related? Maybe with semantic shift: a person asking too much is
naughty?

Marcus Buck


----------

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

Hey, Marcus!

It has long been my assumption that *eisch* 'naughty', 'misbehaved' (in Low
Saxon and Missingsch, also in other Northern German dialects) comes from the
interjection *ei!*, an old-time expression of dismay or exasperation. (You
still find it in 19th-century literature.) In other words, I believe we are
dealing with an originally child language word: *ei*+*(i)sch* with the
adjectival/adverbial (originally approximative) suffix that is related to
English "-ish".

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20081103/69cdbfbf/attachment.htm>