LL-L "Etymology" 2009.01.05 (03) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 05 January 2009 - Volume 03
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Thanks for the compliments, Marlou and Mark. *You guys ...!* (he says
blushing)

Seriously, here's the continuation of word sleuthing and some homework for
all you etymologists at all levels.

I wrote:

*Tüdelkram* is a Missingsch and (from derived from it) casual Northern
German word for something like "nonsense", but not necessarily with such a
harsh sound, more in the sense of "convoluted stuff", which is pretty much
the literal translation.

It is based on Low Saxon *Tütelkraam* (*tuytelkraam*). In other dialects it
is *Tüterkraam* (*tuyterkraam*). (You can also write it with a "d" instead
of a "t", but that's a different matter to be taken up elsewhere.) This in
turn is based on *Tüter* (*tuyter*) 'string', 'cord', 'thread', 'yarn',
'rope', anything that can be rolled up. More specifically it means
'messed-up (convoluted) ball of yarn, rool of rope, etc.' Hence the
expression *in de(n) Tüter kamen* 'to get mixed up', 'to get confused' (both
referring to a string etc. and the person that does the rolling up). It's
extension is *Tüterband* (*tuyterband*) ~ *Tütelband* (*tuytelband*)
'string' (often specifically a piece of string with which to make figures in
a game).

Derived from it is the verb *tütern* (*tuytern*) ~ *tüteln* (*tuyteln*) 'to
bind', 'to string up', 'to talk nonsense', 'to work slowly and
inefficiently'. Derived from this is the adjective/adverb *tüterig* (*
tuyterig*) 'confused', 'potty' (in the non-American sense).


Now we ought to try to identify the root and its possible meaning.

Remember what I often say about frequentive suffixes in verbs? They are *-r-
* for habitual action (*tüüt-r- -> tütern*) and *-l-* for "small" repetitive
action (*tüüt-l- -> tüteln*). This makes the root **tüüt-*. I go out on a
limb and say that it once was **tuut- *later to be umlauted under the
influence of a following high vowel.

The noun *Tüter* 'string', 'cord', 'thread', 'yarn', 'rope' seems somewhat
odd we mostly recognize *-er* because the deverbal nominal suffix as marking
a (habitual) doer, such as "baker", "liar" and "singer", which is the same
in Low Saxon. But it is not impossible that *Tüter* was derived from the
verb *tütern*.

At any rate, it looks to be that we are left with the root **tüüt- < ***
tuut-*.

There are two Modern Low Saxon nouns *Tüüt* that I can think of, and neither
appears to be related to the above:



*Tüüt ~ Tütt* 'certain types of snipe' (*calidrid*, '*charadriida*')

*Tüüt ~ Tuut* (< *Tüte* ~ *Tute* > German *Tüte*) 'paper-bag'



Paper bags were originally cone-shaped, pointed and were made by vendors
before filling them (in times before they came to be glued), hence the Low
Saxon "nickname" *Tütendreier* (*tuytendrayer*) "paper-bag turner" for a
grocery shop keeper or market vendor. While "turning" is involved here, I do
not think this is related to *Tüter* and *tütern* ~ *tüteln*. Much rather, I
assume we are dealing with the verb *tuten* (*tuut-*) 'to toot'. The paper
cones suggest trumpets, and children did indeed make play trumpets in the
same manner.

So what *is* the root **tüüt- < ***tuut- *from which words related to
rolling up, threading and weaving are derived? So far I have not been able
to make a connection from it to words in older Germanic languages.

So there's your homework.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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