Comments on: Wednesday’s Word XLVI http://heliologue.com/2008/04/02/wednesdays-word-xlvi/ Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:56:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ben http://heliologue.com/2008/04/02/wednesdays-word-xlvi/comment-page-1/#comment-155300 Ben Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:28:42 +0000 http://heliologue.com/?p=2029#comment-155300 I suppose maybe you're right. The eventual root of the Breton/Welsh <i>march</i> is the P.I.E. <i>*mereg</i>, which leads eventually to the Old Frankish <i>*markon</i>, which strikes me as suspiciously similar to the proto-German <i>*markhjon</i> cited above. I suppose maybe you’re right. The eventual root of the Breton/Welsh march is the P.I.E. *mereg, which leads eventually to the Old Frankish *markon, which strikes me as suspiciously similar to the proto-German *markhjon cited above.

]]> By: Conor http://heliologue.com/2008/04/02/wednesdays-word-xlvi/comment-page-1/#comment-155294 Conor Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:53:38 +0000 http://heliologue.com/?p=2029#comment-155294 Well... I tend to be <em>very</em> liberal when it comes to etymological interpretation, but I think EtymOnline <a href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=mare" rel="nofollow">backs me up here</a>. Maybe I'm being too phonetic there, but it makes sense to me that horses would be named after their primary function, that of locomotion with a military flavor. As for the mare/steed relation, I was really going by the fact that the German word is <a href="http://dict.leo.org/?search=stute" rel="nofollow">Stute</a> I think this is pretty obviously related to "stud," which by variability is the same as "steed." I hope I don't trip your spam filter with the links... Well… I tend to be very liberal when it comes to etymological interpretation, but I think EtymOnline backs me up here. Maybe I’m being too phonetic there, but it makes sense to me that horses would be named after their primary function, that of locomotion with a military flavor.

As for the mare/steed relation, I was really going by the fact that the German word is Stute I think this is pretty obviously related to "stud," which by variability is the same as "steed."

I hope I don’t trip your spam filter with the links…

]]> By: Ben http://heliologue.com/2008/04/02/wednesdays-word-xlvi/comment-page-1/#comment-155293 Ben Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:35:37 +0000 http://heliologue.com/?p=2029#comment-155293 The etymology of "mare" is marching/trampling? You mean the "mare" as in a female horse? I wasn't aware it had such etymological origins... It's simply the feminine gender of the Old English "mearh," from the proto-German <i>*markhjon</i>. Mare in <em>that</em> sense is oh-so tenuously related to "merry" in the phonetic sense via the Frisian <i>merrie</i>, but the "merry" you're referring to comes from the Old English <i>myrige</i>. I'm interested in this connection in German between "mare" and "steed"; I can't seem to find any good information on it. The etymology of “mare” is marching/trampling? You mean the “mare” as in a female horse? I wasn’t aware it had such etymological origins… It’s simply the feminine gender of the Old English “mearh,” from the proto-German *markhjon.

Mare in that sense is oh-so tenuously related to “merry” in the phonetic sense via the Frisian merrie, but the “merry” you’re referring to comes from the Old English myrige.

I’m interested in this connection in German between “mare” and “steed”; I can’t seem to find any good information on it.

]]> By: Conor http://heliologue.com/2008/04/02/wednesdays-word-xlvi/comment-page-1/#comment-155291 Conor Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:23:25 +0000 http://heliologue.com/?p=2029#comment-155291 I had been under the impression that the "mare" was related to "merry," in the sense of to cut short or to please. I guess I made a horrible conflation between ideas of succubi and the etymology of "dream." Interesting that the focus is widely on a physical sensation of oppression rather than just emotional distress. While I don't disagree that the "mer" root of "to bore, to harm" could adequately explain "nightmare," I would think the basic etymology of "mare" (marching, trampling) is completely sufficient. But perhaps I'm just having a hard time shaking my original conceptions of the word "nightmare," too. Funny that the word "steed" is directly related to the word "mare" in German. Now, where did the last 20 minutes go? I had been under the impression that the "mare" was related to "merry," in the sense of to cut short or to please. I guess I made a horrible conflation between ideas of succubi and the etymology of "dream."

Interesting that the focus is widely on a physical sensation of oppression rather than just emotional distress.

While I don’t disagree that the "mer" root of "to bore, to harm" could adequately explain "nightmare," I would think the basic etymology of "mare" (marching, trampling) is completely sufficient. But perhaps I’m just having a hard time shaking my original conceptions of the word "nightmare," too.

Funny that the word "steed" is directly related to the word "mare" in German. Now, where did the last 20 minutes go?

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