LL-L "Etymology" 2010.11.05 (02) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 05 November 2010 - Volume 02
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology


Dear Lowlanders,

Here’s a duck-related etymological matter for you to sink your teeth in.

There is a sort of duck that is called “wigeon” in English, also spelled
“widgeon.” It is also known as *Anas penelope* (or *Mareca penelope*), it’s
American version as *Anas americana*.

German: Pfeifente
Low Saxon: *Piepaant?
Dutch: smient (< *smijdeëend?)
West Frisian: smjunt
North Frisian: smen
French: canard siffleur
Catalan: ànec xiulador, piuló
Italian: fischione
Basque: ahate txistulari
Castilian (Spanish): (ánade ~ pato) silbón
Galician: asubiador
Cornish: whewer
Welsh: chwiw, chwiwell, chwiwiad, wiwell
Irish Gaelic: lacha rua, rualacha
Scottish Gaelic: glas-lach
Manx Gaelic: laagh ruy, thunnag veg feie
Faroese: ennigul ont
Icelandic: rauðhöfðaönd (“red-headed duck”)
Danish: pibeand
Norwegian: brunnakke, pipand
Swedish: bläsand
Finnish: haapana
Slovene: (navadna) žvižgavka
Croatian: (patka) zviždara
Polish: świstun
Slovak: kacica hvizdárka
Belarusian: качка-свіцьва
Russian: свиязь
Ukrainian: свищ
Bulgarian: фиш

As you can see, references to its characteristic whistling call abound.
References to its red or brown head or neck apply only to the Eurasian type.


I assumed that the word “wigeon” ~ “widgeon” goes back to a Norman word, but
apparently this is not correct:

Etymology Online:

... 1510s, perhaps from some variant of Fr. *vigeon*, which some trace to L.
*vipionem* (nom. *vipio*), "a kind of small crane," a Balearic word, perhaps
imitative. OED, however, finds all this "very dubious."



Any clues anyone?

By the way, wigeons are a kind of “dabbling duck.” They feed just below the
surface of the water (bobbing forward and under in shallow water so as to
feed off the bottom). Hence the use of “to dabble” in the sense of “to
undertake something superficially or without serious intent.”

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

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