LL-L: "Etymology" LOWLANDS-L, 30.NOV.2000 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 30.NOV.2000 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Henry Pijffers [hpijffers at home.nl]
Subject: LL-L: "Etymology" LOWLANDS-L, 30.NOV.2000 (04) [E]

Ron asked:
>
>I am not sure if _Katt_ ('cat') can also be used to denote a type of whip, but
>I assume it could in older varieties.  (I'm sort of sure _Katze_ can in
>German.)  Nor do I know if there is or ever used to be a verb *_katten_.  Does
>anyone else know?
>
In Dutch we use "kat" for a certain type of whip (I believe it is the
cat o' nine tails), and the verb "katten" for whipping (with that
"kat"-whip) and for fighting/bickering. In LS we use the latter form
too, I'm not sure about the first, neither about the whip, as I've
never used those myself, but I can't rule it out.

grooten,
Henry

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Etymology

In Low Saxon (Low German) of Germany, the most frequently word used for 'whip'
these days is _Pietsch_ [p`i:tS], and the verb is _pietschen_ ['p`i:tS=n].  I
am not sure if these a conversions of German _Peitsche_ ['p`aItS@] and
_peitschen_ ['p`aItS at n] respectively, or if they are direct loans from Western
Slavic.  At any rate, these LS and German words apparently go back to Western
Slavic, most likely to forms in a now extinct West Slavic variety (probably a
Polabian one), and contain the Slavic root for 'to beat', 'to hit' (cf. Polish
_bic_ [bits] 'to beat/hit', _bicz_ [bitS] 'whip', _biczowac_ [bi'tSovats] 'to
whip').  Note also Scandinavian for 'whip': e.g., Swedish _piska_.

Other dialects of LS have n. _Sweep_ [sve:p] v. _swepen_ ['svE:p=m], n.
_Tagel_ ['t`Q:gl] v. _tageln_ ['t`Q:gl=n], and n. _Klabatsch_ [kla'batS] v.
_klabatschen_ [kla'batS=n].

Especially the etymology of the last of these is a mystery to me.  I would not
be surprised if it, too, were of Slavic origin.  Or could it be a derivation
from French _cravache_ 'whip (for riding)'?  Does anyone know?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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From: Henry Pijffers [hpijffers at home.nl]
Subject: LL-L: "Etymology" LOWLANDS-L, 30.NOV.2000 (06) [D/E]

Ron wrote:
>
>Niels wrote:
>
>> Danish _kat_ English _cat_ in this sense must be related to
>> Latin and Italian _catena_ ;
>> cousins: French _chaine_ , English _chain_ , Dutch _ketting_
>> and also HG _kette_ , Danish _kæde_ , Swedish _kedja_
>
>Low Saxon (Low German): Kede / Käde ['k`e:de] ~ Keed' / Kääd' [k`e:.d] ~
>[k`e:.]
>
We use "ketne" (plural: "ketns") for "chain". There are probably 1 or 2 silent
e's in there, so maybe it should be spelled like "kettene" (plural:
"kettenes").

grooten,
Henry

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From: john feather [johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk]
Subject: Etymology

Ron wrote:
>A quadrille is a square counter dance ... <

I'm not familiar with the expression "counter dance". It's interesting that
the Fr. "contredanse" is a corruption of "country dance" influenced by the
false etymology "contre" + "danse".

John Feather johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk

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