LL-L "Etymology" 2009.06.29 (05) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 29 June 2009 - Volume 05
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From: Pat Reynolds <pat at caerlas.demon.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2009.06.29 (04) [EN]

Lowlands-L List wrote:
 i.e.  R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com <mailto:sassisch at yahoo.com>>

> I wrote among other things:
>
> Old Saxon has /mako/ (pronounced like /macko/) 'companion' which appears to
> go back to the same Indo-European root */maĝ-/ from which the "make" group
> comes. Apart from "make" it also means "knead", "squeeze", "stroke". So
> perhaps a /Macker/ was originally someone you hugged and petted.


As a person from this area (midlands), I alway understood 'mucker' as
'companion', with the meaning of 'one-who-shares-bread-with' (indeed, I was
quite stunned as a child, realising that I had a word for 'companion', where
as the rest of the English-speaking world had to make do with an import).

I associated 'my old mucker' with 'to muck in' with the meaning 'share
rations with'.

I fully expect my personal (micro-folk) etymology is utterly false.

Cheers,  my old muckers,

Pat
-- 
Pat Reynolds

It may look messy now ...
        ... but just you come back in 500 years time (T. Pratchett).

•

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