Madoff's name

[Robert Orr]

If you tool around with Indo-European ablaut (lengthened grades, etc., you 
can link Madoff to m'od/med)


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Prof Steven P Hill" <s-hill4 at ILLINOIS.EDU>
To: <SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu>
Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 5:25 PM
Subject: [SEELANGS] Madoff's name


> Dear colleagues:
>
> In the news this December is an accused major Wall St. swindler
> named Bernard L. MADOFF.   (Arrested Dec. 11 for allegedly
> bilking big investors out of some billion dollars.)   Tsk, tsk.
>
> I suppose it would be ironically appropriate if his surname
> originally would go back to an older Slavic root with meanings
> like "honey" or "sweet," as in contemp. Russ. m'od.   (Cf. also
> Engl. "mead.")    Or perhaps "Madoff" goes back to some very
> different source,    lacking the ironic appropriateness of
> "honey/sweet"...?
>
> Gratefully,
> Steven P Hill,
> University of Illinois.
> ____________________________________________________________
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