"Serbian", noun, 1739; antedating OED2 1848--

[Shapiro, Fred]

I doubt that historical lexicographers would accept a handwritten annotation of this sort as a valid citation.

Fred Shapiro



________________________________________
From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Joel S. Berson [Berson at ATT.NET]
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2012 1:30 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: "Serbian", noun, 1739; antedating OED2 1848--

"Great Battle betwixt Serbians & Turks."

New England Weekly Journal, 1739 Sept. 26, page 1, handwritten
annotation at top of page.  (It is not known who annotated this year
of the NEWJ. but it definitely is contemporaneous.)

"Serbian" antedates OED2  Sense B.a. 1848--.

I have copied this to ADS-L so that others may evaluate my
reading.  The newspaper issue is accessible in Early American Newspapers.

The article the annotation refers to is datelined London, August 8,
and is introduced as "these farther Particulars of the Action at
Crotzka, on the 11th ult. [that is, July] O.S. between the
Imperialists and the Turks."  This is a reference to the "Battle of
Grocka" (see Wikipedia), July 21-22 N.S., 1739, between the Austrians
and the Turks.  The battle was crucial -- a psychologically
devastating loss for the Austrians that led to the Ottoman capture of Belgrade.

Grocka is described today as "a suburban neighborhood and one of 17
municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of
Serbia" (Wikipedia).

Joel

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