LL-L "Etymology" 2007.06.22 (09) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  22 June 2007 - Volume 09

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From: wim <wkv at home.nl>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.06.22 (04) [E]

Hi,

The ending inga o ing or ingastir  is very very old, it s already found in
runic  text, it means family off or son off

Wim ( wkv at home.nl )

Netherlands Zwolle.
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From: Soenke Dibbern <s_dibbern at web.de>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology"

Sa., den 23. Jun.'07, hett R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com> dit schreven:

>>> Don, den – hill
>> In Dithmarschen, there are a couple of village names ending in 'donn'
>> like
>> 'St. Michaelisdonn', 'Hochdonn', 'Dingerdonn'.
>
> What I find most fascinating about this word is that it looks
> suspiciously related to Celtic * dun (Gaelic dun , Welsh din) 'hill
> fortress', 'hill'.
>
> But again I don't find any such connection being made in the resources I
> consulted.
Well, quick'n dirty, at least the Online Etymology Dictionary relates
'dune' to Gaulish 'dunom' and, thus, to Celtic 'dun' and the second part
of 'London' [cf.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=dune&searchmode=none].  'dune'
again could be seen as a fitting description for the sandy edge of the
Geest, which rises quite abruptly from the marshes in southern
Dithmarschen, where these '-donn' names are present.

> (I wonder if there's a connection with the Brahmins of Bremen. But,
> darn, we may never know, since John signed off once again!)
You don't need John to tell that this is clearly the case, since Tolkien's
'Dunédain' [Men of the West] had to retreat to their fortresses in the
sandy hills from the Scythians/Cambodian Saxons, who approached with their
Brahmins from Bremen AND Angkor Wat. No resistance possible. THis shifted
the meaning of 'dun' from 'west' to 'hill' in later centuries.

Regards,
Sönke

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Well, well, Sönke. I must bow to your superior intuitive power and erudition
in the fields of Eurasian history and etymology.  I know that the Kahuna is
very pleased, which means that you will acquire a fragrant name and mat
(yes, a fragrant hand-me-down sitting mat) if you keep this up.

But I will add, if I may, that my humble intuition tells me that there was a
slight twist in that dun (usually spelled doon) came to mean 'down(ward)' in
Scots which hails from the time when Gaeltacht wenches raised the children
of Saxons. This has by some been falsely attributed to Celtic dun 'height
(to come down from')'.  In actual fact, it goes back to Roman times when
Scythian youths were routinely abducted to serve as guards at Hadrian's
Wall. Contacts with Huns (Xiongnu), or rather with the Huns' Han Chinese
consorts, gave rise to the eventual adoption of the Chinese word 蹲 dun which
means 'crouch' or 'squat', and this is how it ended up in the Pictish
language and eventually via obscure Gaelic varieties in Scots, most probably
via Gaelic nannies toilet-training Saxon toddlers ("Squat!" > "down").

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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