LL-L "Etymology" 2009.04.14 (02) [E/German]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 14 April 2009 - Volume 02
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From: Hellinckx Luc <luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology"

Beste Ron,



The background of this "Spökenkieker" is unknown to me, but the modern
German word "Schicht" (layer) is another word as the Dutch word "schichtig"
that derives from "geschehen/geschieden" (common expression "schichtig
kijken" = to glance shyly, in a skittish way).



I don't know if this meaning is still known in Saxon dialects, but the
Rheinisches Wörterbuch mentions it:



*schichtig* diese Abl. (ahd. scihtig »scheu«, ndl., westf. »scheu,
vorsichtig«) ist lrhn. n. einschl. in Prüm, Malm, Daun-Wiesbaum, Aden, Ahrw,
in Rheinb, Eusk, Bo, Köln, Bergh, Dür, Neuss-Nievenh, Kref-Fischeln, rrhn.
in Sieg,

Bd. 7, Sp. 1086



MülhRh, Sol, Düss, Gummb-Stdt, Remschd, Barm, Elbf verbr., z. T. mit
verschiedener Bed., u. zwar -iχt-, e- [Prüm -īχt-, īt-] Adj.:



 1.



 a.  geübt u. sicher, z. B. im Werfen, Schiessen, Messen; treffsicher
Malm-Vith, Daun-Wiesbaum, Aden-Weibern. –



 b.  von guter Auffassungsgabe, umsichtig, geweckt, schlau Allg. (mit
Ausnahme von 2 a, b). –



 c.  listig, heimtückisch, verschlagen ebd. u. Kref-Fischeln (nicht 1 b). –



 d.  leicht aufbrausend Prüm-Mürlenb 1860. –



 e.  schalkhaft ebd. –



 2.



 a.  auf seinen Nutzen bedacht; schwabbig on sch. sin Gummb-Stdt, Remsch. –



 b.  scheu, schüchtern, von Tieren, Menschen Ahrw-Sinzig Remag (u. 1 b),
Elbf, Mettm-Cronenbg; s. schüchtig (die gen. Orte entrunden nicht, es liegt
also -i- vor).



Kluge starts the lemma "Schicht" like this:



Herkunft des Wortes ist unklar und kaum einheitlich. Abzutrennen sind
zunächst die Bedeutungen, die zu "geschehen" und "Geschichte", "Geschick"
gehören und die heute beim Simplex nicht mehr üblich sind...



But maybe in some North German dialect, they are still "üblich"? Anyway,
Kluge ends with:



Beide Wörter sind ursprünglich Fachwörter des Bergbaus; das zweite ist aber
auch früh in Kochrezepten bezeugt.



"Bergbau" rather makes me think of Southern Germany...soo, maybe the
Bavarian bulldozer just rolled over? ;=)



Kind greetings,



Luc Hellinckx


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

Thanks, Luc.

To look in a *schichtig* way has an English equivalent: "shifty" ("shifty
eyes", "shifty look", 'to look shifty", "shifty-eyed", etc.). I've always
assumed that it has something to do with your eyes going from side to side
when you are embarrassed, are lying, are hiding something or are doing
something secretly. So this would involve the "change" and "move" idea I
mentioned.

It could also have something to do with "devices", "ruses" or "tricks", as
in OED:

*shifty* a.
Full of shifts or expedients; well able to shift for oneself.

*shiftless* a.
Helpless for self-defence; void of cunning or artifice. *Obs.*
* *Lacking in resource; incapable of shifting for oneself; hence, lazy,
inefficient.

*shifter* n.
One who resorts to petty shifts or tricks, or who practises artifice; an
idle, thriftless fellow; a trickster, cozener, etc.


Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

•

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