acconstrainments (fwd)

[Dennis R. Preston]

If you look under accoutrement (surely the sense here) in the OED,
you will find that this modern French word (now firmly in English)
has variant spellings in older French which come very close to the
form cited. I wouod gloss it as if it were this item.

dInIs

>This query was forwarded to me by a colleague, and although it does not
>exactly fall in the province of American dialectology, I thought perhaps
>that someone on the list might have some light to shed on this word, or
>some suggestion as to where to pursue it further.
>         Thanks,
>         Rudy
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2001 00:59:36 -0700
>
>>
>>  Another inquiry, if you can stand it.  I'm quoting a writer named
>>John Ferne;
>>  he wrote a work entitled The Blazon of Gentrie (1586).  Ferne writes: "Then
>>  let al men embrodure, depaint, engrave, and stampe, upon their hanginges,
>>  walles, windowes, and other domesticall acconstrainments, these glorious
>>  and commendable ensignes. . . ."
>>
>>  This morning I went into the dept library to check the OED for
>"acconstrainments."
>>   It's not a word that I can remember ever having come across, and my search
>>  did not turn up the word.  I think I understand the gist of the meaning:
>>  the writer is talking about those things in a home that are not natural
>>  but rather produced by man.  Should I attempt to gloss the word?  My usual
>>  practice in quoting a Renaissance writer is to supply a gloss within square
>>  brackets immediately after the word.  If the answer is yes, would
>>you suggest
>>  such a gloss?
>>
>>  Fred

--
Dennis R. Preston
Department of Linguistics and Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
preston at pilot.msu.edu
Office: (517)353-0740
Fax: (517)432-2736