LL-L "Etymology" 2009.09.12 (01) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 12 September 2009 - Volume 01
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From: Hellinckx Luc <luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology"

Beste Ron,

You wrote:

English has the defunct verbs "to nihil" ~ "to nichil" ~ "to nichillate" ~
"to nihilate" meaning "to destroy", 'to annihilate", from Late (Medieval)
Latin *nihilat-*. There's also Latin *adnihil- ~ annihil-* (> English
"annihilate") with the same meaning, all from *nihil* 'nothing', hence
German *zunichte machen* and *vernichten* from *nicht(s) *'nothing'. I am
wondering if Middle Saxon imported *vornielen* 'to destroy' from Medieval
Latin (either directly or via Middle German) rather than from French.


Primarily, nothing but (Old) French/Latin loanwords around here for
destructive actions like "vernielen":

renneweern (< ruïner (F), to ruin (E)): "G'hé majn schoeën bloes gerenneweed
op dèè fieëst" (B) = "Je hebt mijn mooie blouse vernield op dat feest"

verdestreweern (< destruere (Latin), destruire (Old French)): "Zö gazong és
grat verdestreweed met daann iëete zomer" (B) = "Zijn gazon is helemaal naar
de vaantjes door die hete zomer" (D)

vermassakreern (< massacrer (F)): "Ge müt dèè poep ni zoe vermassakreern"
(B) = "Maak die pop niet kapot" (D)

French "massacrer" in turn, may however be a derivation of High German
"Metzger" (butcher) ?<? macellarius (Latin) or related to "meat" (E). Also
note that Dutch has the word "matsen" (slaan, knoeien...). Matsen < machier
(Old French for "to crush") < mastigare (Latin) < mastizein (Greek).

One native word is "(ver)mosen" (< moos: modder), but that doesn't exactly
match "to destroy", rather it means "to mess with". Which eventually may
lead to destruction of course.

Kind greetings,

Luc Hellinckx, Halle, Belgium

PS: In first order, "niel" in "ver-niel-en" connects with Middle Dutch
"niel" (thrown flat on the ground), not with Latin "nihil". Devries has Low
German "nigel/nugel/nule/nuël/nuel" all meaning "forward down, upside down"
and ultimately finds a cognate in Old Indian "n Ä«ca" (downward).

•

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