LL-L "Etymology" 2009.01.29 (01) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 29 January 2009 - Volume 01
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Hey, Wes!

Yesterday you asked:

"taking a dekko at something" is an expression I'd only met previously in
various late-era post Twentieth C--European Civil War (c. 1014-1945) English
penny-dreadfuls and only thought it could exist in that context.  I heard it
recently on the radio in relation to a messy traffic jam in Auckland City.

I assume it's Hindi/Urdu-derived?  Through (Sanskrit) drsht - to see?
 (Though
I have also considered it might be Romany-derived.  I have no real idea.)

Anyone got any better ideas?

Wesley Parish


Since no-one else responded, please let me do the honors.

Apparently you were on the right track.

"Dekko" comes from Hindustani *dekho* (Hindi देखो, Urdu دیکھو) 'look!',
'see!', imperative of *dekhnā* (Hindi देख्ना, Urdu دیکھنا) 'to look', 'to
see', cf. Panjabi *dekhna* ਡੇਖ੍ਨ, Bengali *dēkhā* দেখা, Nepali *dēkhu*
देख्नु, Romany *dik(h)* 'to look'< Sanskrit *ḍ**ekhu *डेखु; cf. Farsi *dīkan
* دیدن 'to look', 'to see', probably from Proto-Persian **diħ-*.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

•

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