Sumpf

I discovered the wonderful German word Sumpf /zʊmpf/ today while putting together les mots de la semaine for this week from the French conversation group. One of the things that came in conversation was the word marsh, which is le marais or le marécage in French, and Sumpf in German, which I noticed because there’s something about the combination of mpf in a word that just appeals to me. Are there particular letter combinations that appeal to you?

Sumpf means marsh, morass, mud, bog, quagmire, mire, sump, and can also be used figuratively to refer to corruption, e.g. der Sumpf der Politik = the murky waters of politics.

Related expressions include:

– Sumpfland = marshland; swampland
– sumpfig = marshy; swampland
– Sumpfboden = marshy ground
– sumpfen = to live it up
– Sumpfdotterblume = marsh marigold
– Sumpfpflanze = marsh plant
– Sumpfgas = marsh gas
– Salzsumpf = salt marsh

The word marsh comes from the Germanic base of mere (sea, lake), which is cognate with the Latin mare, and related words in many European languages; plus the suffix -ish (of or belonging to a person or thing, of the nature or character of).

Sources: Wiktionary, Reverso, OED, bab.la dictionary

Les mots de la semaine

français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
vaciller; danser to flicker (light) fflachio; neidio trabellat; horellat
le vacillement flicker (flames) naid; dychlamiad horelladenn
la lueur flicker (light) llygedyn skleur
la coupure de courant power cut toriad trydan troc’h tredan
le véhicule haut high-sided vehicle cerbyd ochrau uchel karbed uhel (?)
se retourner to overturn troi drosodd treiñ
marécageux marshy corslyd, corsiog, siglennog geunieg; gwazheg
le marais; le marécage marsh cors gwern; gwazh
le marais salant; le salin salt marsh morfa heli palud-holen; holenek

Les mots de la semaine

français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
se multiplier comme des lapins to breed like rabbits magu fel cwningod
un raccourci; un moyen rapide short cut llwybr llygad/tarw berradenn
prendre un raccourci to take a short cut mynd y ffordd gyntaf;
dilyn llwybr llygad/tarw
hent miliner
une borne bollard postyn; clymbost matezh
faire la une;
faire la première page
to be front-page news bod yn brif newyddion;
bod ar y dudalen flaen
bezañ a bajenn gentañ (?)
un demi-tour (lit);
un revirement,
une volte-face (fig)
U-turn tro pedol hanterdro; distroenn;
faire volte-face to do a U-turn (fig) gwneud tro pedol ober hanterdro (?)

Les mots de la semaine

français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
le gel; la gelée frost rhew; llwydrew; barrug rev
le givre hoarfrost barrug; glasrew; llwydrew kler
faire tourner to spin troi; troelli reiñ tro
jouer à pile ou face to spin a coin taflu ceiniog
inspecteur de police principal chief inspector Prif Arolygydd (yr Heddlu) pennenseller polis
le tollé outcry protest; banllefo brotest; gwrthgri hulch’o
un tollé général a public outcry protest cyhoeddus
la benne skip sgip benn
mécanique clockwork perfedd; clocwaith; peirianwaith mekanek
marcher comme sur des roulettes to go like clockwork mynd fel cloc; troi fel deiol
thé (de cinq heures);
thé de l’après-midi
afternoon tea te prynhawn/pnawn; prynhawnbryd te goude kreistez (?)

Les mots de la semaine

français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
recommandé; prudent; conseillé advisable doeth; call; buddiol erbedet; avizet
récurrent;
périodique (math)
recurring dibaid; cylchol oc’h addonet; mareadeg
soins intensifs intensive care gofal arbenning;
gofal dwys
prederioù askoridik
cours intensif intensive course cwrs carlam staj d’an daoulamm
la paquet bundle (clothing) sypyn; swp; bwndel pakad
la liasse bundle (banknotes; newspapers sypyn; swp; bwndel strobad
un vrai boute-en-train a bundle of fun hwyl anfarwol ur kaser ar cholor
ce n’était pas une partie de plaisir it wasn’t a bundle of laughs doedd hi ddim yn hwyl anfarwol
coûter bonbon;
coûter une fortune
to cost a bundle/packet costio yn ddrud;
costio ffortiwn
bezañ un dirañson
la brique brick bricsen; priddfaen brik

Dirks, Saxons and Messers

Dirk / sgian-dubh in sock

I discovered today that dolch is the German equivalent of dirk, the dagger that is worn in the sock in Scottish Highland dress (see photo). The dirk is known as a sgian dubh (black knife or secret knife) in Scottish Gaelic, and the word dirk, which first appeared in English as dork in the 17th century, possibly comes from the German word dolch (dagger) or dolk, which is found in Dutch, Danish and Swedish [source].

Another German word for knife is Messer, which comes from the Old High German mezzeres/mezzirahs/mezzisahs (knife), from the Proto-Germanic *matisahsą (knife), from *matiz (food) and *sahsą (knife, dagger). Messer is cognate with the Old Saxon metisahs/mezas (knife), the West Frisian mês, the Dutch mes (knife), and the Old English word meteseax (knife). [source].

The Old English word seax (knife, short sword, dagger), which appears in meteseax, shares the same root – the Proto-Indo-European *sek- (to cut) – with the Middle English sax (knife); the Danish and Swedish word sax (a pair of scissors), the Icelandic sax (a short heavy sword), and the Latin word secō (cut), as well as the English words Saxon and saw [source].

The English word mess (in the military sense of a dining hall or people who eat together) comes from a different root – from the Latin mittere (to put, place) via the Old French mets (food) [source].

Les mots de la semaine

français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
veinard; chançard lucky devil/bugger cenau lwcus chañs
avoir de la veine;
avoir de la chance
to be lucky bod yn lwcus
chanceux lucky lwcus eürus
l’échapée belle lucky escape dianc lwcus
le jour de chance lucky day dydd lwcus
le coup de vein lucky break ergyd lwcus taol -chañs
la cuve tank; vat; bunker byncer; daeardy; cerwyn pip
la cellule (prison/animal/plant) cell cell kellig
l’aquarelle (f) watercolour dyfrlliw dourliv
boiteux lame cloff kamm
la note chit darn papur notenn
délicat; nauséeux; barbouillé queasy (stomach) sâl; swp sâl; (stumog) wan da sevel ar galon; klañv
mal à l’aise queasy (uneasy) anesmwyth; anniddig; aflonydd diaes
le cercle vicieux vicious circle cylch cythreulig; cylch anfad kelc’h bac’h
la cote (betting) odds ods; ots

Lucky and inspiring veins

I discovered yesterday that one way to say that someone is lucky in French is to say that they avoir de la veine (‘have of the vein’). I’m not sure why veins are associated with luck. Does anybody know.

Veine also means seam and inspiration.

Other expressions featuring veine and related words include:

– veiné = veined
– dans la même veine = in the same vein
– veine dramatique = dramatic inspiration
– veine poétique = poetic inspiration
– veine porte = portal vein
– veine poétique = poetic inspiration
– veine de cocu / veine de pendu = great deal of luck
– veine d’air = current of air
– veinard {n} = lucky beggar/dog
– veinard {adj} = fluky; jammy
– Sacré veinard ! = You jammy bugger!

Are there equivalents of veinard in other languages?

Les mots de la semaine

français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
la cabine de plage beach hut cwt/caban glan môr logell aod (?)
le petit nom d’amitié; diminutif pet name enw anwes bihanaat
le terme d’affection term of endearment gair anwes
les paroles tendres endearments geiriau tyner
le sol; la terre soil pridd douar
le banc (d’église) (church) pew côr; sedd; sêt plas

Les mots de la semaine

français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
nain dwarf corrach korr; korrigan
les préparatifs (mpl); le dispositions (fpl) arrangements trefniadau; paratoadau darbaroù; danvezidigezh
prendre des dispositions to make arrangements trefnu; paratoi aozañ; brientiñ
se mettre d’accord; parvenir à un arrangement to come to an arrangement dod i gytundeb/ddealltwriaeth (â rhywun) glevet e yezh all
prendre des dispositions nécessaires pour faire qch to make an arrangement to do sth trefnu i wneud rhywbeth
la composition florale flower arrangement trefniad blodau bokederezh
la betterave beetroot betysen (goch); bitrwden beterabez
rouge comme une tomate red as a beetroot cyn goched â gwaed