LL-L "Etymology" 2007.03.06 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L - 06 March 2007 - Volume 05

=========================================================================

From: Arthur Jones <arthurobin2002 at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.03.05 (09) [E]

Moin Moin Sassenaks!

Kevin en Sandy schrieven:

<From: Kevin Caldwell < kevin.caldwell1963 at verizon.net>
<Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2007.03.05 (07) [E]

<From: Sandy Fleming  < sandy at scotstext.org>
<Subject: LL-L "Idiomatica" 2007.03.05 (01) [E]

> I'm sure I've come across various oral-language equivalents of this -
> vocabulary that alters to accommodate amateur etymology. I can't seem to
> think of any examples offhand, though.

"Jerusalem artichoke," from the Italian "girasole" (meaning "heliotrope").
The "artichoke" part is another story.

"Hoppin' John" (a dish made with black-eyed peas and rice), supposedly from
the French Creole name for black-eyed peas, "pois pigeons" (pigeon peas).

> Oh yes, the phrase "scart-free" used by at least one Scottish writer has
> been discussed on the list before. Does "scot-free" really come from the
> Scots for "without a scratch", or is it from the French "escot"? That
> sort of thing.

The "scot" in "scot free" is from Old Norse, and connected with modern
French "écot". It means simply "money assessed or paid" (from
Merriam-Webster OnLine).  A more detailed explanation is here:
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-sco1.htm


Kevin Caldwell

The "scot" in "scot free" actually goes back a bit farther than Old Norse.
The attested Gothic word "skatta" was a word for coin, treasure, or money
for paying "mota" or taxes and tolls and such.

The modern words are "Schatz" in German, such as a "Schatzmeister" or
Treasurer.

Other sources tell me that the modern "scot free" usage came either from
universal usage in the Low Saxon and other northern dialects of the
Hanseatic League, although I still do not recall ever seeing definite proof
of this, or else that it came into frequent contact with the English
language in the early days of British and Dutch colonies in North America:
When English settlers could buy an item "skatt frij" from the New Amsterdam
colony in what is nowadays New York. Perhaps an overlap exists between
"skada/schaden/scathe" or injury, damage, giving us the double meaning: "He
got off Scot free" connotes "unharmed" as well as "untaxed".

Arthur

ARTHUR A. JONES

----------

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

Arthur, Lowlanders,

Whether or not that etymology is correct I do not know.  However, Arthur,
what you told us tallies with Old Saxon ... sort of ...:

skat (~ skatt) : coin, money, treasure, estate >

fehuskat : ("livestock ...") coin, money
hôvidskat : ("head ...") polltax
mundskat : ("mouth ...") protection
siluvarskat : ("silver ...") silver coin
weroldskat : ("world ...") worldly goods
winskat : ("wine ...") wine tax

However ... nota benissime ...

skot : tax

Derived from Old English scot, "scot" (~ "shot" < sceot) in this sense is
still officially an English word, albeit a rather archaic one; e.g., ...

   This notable Club Pacchiarotto
   Had joined long since, paid scot and lot to,
   As free and accepted 'Bardotto'.
                          Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1876

   *Scot*, an ale-house reckoning.
                          Georgina F. Jackson, *Shropshire word-book*1879–81

This word is attested in English as far back as in the early 13th century.

It is related to Old Frisian skot with the same basic meaning, as opposed to
sket(t) 'coin', 'money', 'treasure', 'estate', 'owned livestock'.

Middle Saxon (Hanseatic business correspondence):

Vortmer [de] radessendeboden van Lubeke spreken to den Lyflandesschen
steden, also umme dubbelt schot unde umme dat stucke sulvers, dat ere copman
utgeven moste to broke etc. ...
                          Recess to Rostock unde Lubeke, 1417

Broder dat were uns gud an lyve und an seyle, dat wy hyr uns bergen kunden
und wy solden hyr wol 10 jar lenger leven dan to Lubeke und wy mochten hyr
met vreden und sunder grot schot und beswarynge leven und mochten hyr under
uns leven, woe wy wolden sunder grote kost; und hyr es gud kop huses to
hurnen, dey lustych und wol belegen buten weges, wor men dey leyvest und
best hebben wel. ...
                          Zyverd Veckynchusen, 1370–1426

item schal eyn borgermestere mit den saluesten twen kemeren unde ver anderen
ratmannen schot, pacht, unde allerlegge upkommige baren uppe dem rathuse
                          Mecklenburg, 1481

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20070306/bc1c56fb/attachment.htm>