Category: Proto-West-Germanic

Adventures in Etymology – Gather Together

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology we’re gathering together the good roots of the word gather.

A room full of polyglots

Gather [ˈɡæðə / ˈɡæðɚ] as a verb can mean to collect normally separate things; to harvest food; to accumulate over time; to congregate or assemble; to bring parts of a whole closer; or to infer or conclude.

As an noun, gather can mean a plait or fold in cloth, a blob of molten glass collected on the end of a blowpipe, or a gathering.

It comes from Middle English gaderen (to assemble, congregate), from Old English gaderian (to bring together, to gather), from Proto-West Germanic *gadurōn (to gather, bring together), from *gadur (together, gathered in one place), possibly from PIE *gʰódʰ-r̥, from *gʰedʰ- (to join, unite, suit) [source].

Words from the same roots include godzić (to reconcile, bring together) in Polish, hodit (to fit, suit, be appropriate) in Czech, guõdas (virtue, nobleness, glory, honour) in Lithuanian, goed (good, correct, right) in Dutch, and good and together in English [source].

Next week I’m off to the Polyglot Gathering in Brno in the Czech Republic, where language enthusiasts from all over the world will forgather and regather together to talk in and about languages. There may some woolgathering, but hopefully no misgathering, as we gather our thoughts and ourselves together.

  • to forgather = to assemble or gather together in one place, to gather up, to congregate
  • to regather = to gather again, to gather back together
  • woolgathering = the gathering of fragments of wool torn from sheep by bushes, etc. indulgence in idle fancies or daydreams
  • to misgather = to accumulate or assemble incorrectly, to infer or conclude incorrectly

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Flowing Floods

By Simon

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What links the word flood with words for flow, river and high tide? Let’s find out in this Adventure in Etymology.

Flowing Floods

Meanings of flood [flʌd] include:

  • An overflow of a large amount of water (usually disastrous) from a lake or other body of water due to excessive rainfall or other input of water.
  • A large number or quantity of anything appearing more rapidly than can easily be dealt with (e.g. a flood of complaints).
  • The flowing in of the tide.

It comes from Middle English flod [floːd] (river, lake, ocean, flood), from Old English flōd / ᚠᛚᚩᛞᚢ [floːd] (flowing of the tide, river, stream, flood), from Proto-West Germanic *flōdu (river, flood), from Proto-Germanic *flōduz (river, flood), from PIE *plóh₃tus (overflow, deluge), from *pleh₃(w)- (to swim, to flow) [source].

Words from the same roots possibly include flow in English, flod [fluːd] (river, flood, high tide) in Swedish, vloeien [ˈvlui̯ə(n)] (to flow) in Dutch, плувам [ˈpɫuvɐm] (to swim, to float) in Bulgarian, and plauti [ˈpɫɐ̂ʊtʲɪ] (to wash, rinse) in Lithuanian [source].

In Old English, another word for river (and stream) was ēa [æɑː], which comes from Proto-West Germanic *ahu (river), from Proto-Germanic *ahwō (stream, river, water), from PIE *h₂ekʷeh₂ ([flowing] water) [source].

Words from the same roots include eddy and ewer in English, å [oː] (river, creek, big stream) in Swedish, ø [øˀ] (island) in Danish, á [auː] (river) in Icelandic, and agua [ˈa.ɣ̞wa] (water) in Spanish [source].

There was a lot of rain in the UK this week, and plenty of large puddles on the roads, but I didn’t see any major floods. I hope things were okay where you are.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Harmonious Reason

By Simon

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Are the words harmony and reason connected? Let’s find out in this Adventure in Etymology.

Singing in Pontio / Canu ym Mhontio

Meanings of harmony [ˈhɑː.mə.ni] include:

  • Agreement or accord.
  • A pleasing combination of elements, or arrangement of sounds.
  • Two or more notes played simultaneously to produce a chord.

It comes from Middle English armonie (harmonious sounds, song, music, harmony), from Old French (h)armonie (harmony, musical instrument), from Latin harmonia (harmony, music, peace), from Ancient Greek ἁρμονία (harmonía – joint, union, agreement, concord of sounds), from or related to ἁρμόζω (harmózō – I fit together), from PIE *h₂er- (to join, fit, fix together) [source].

Meanings of reason [ˈɹiː.zən] include:

  • A cause.
  • A motive for an action or a determination.
  • Rational thinking.

It comes from Middle English reso(u)n (reason), from Anglo-Norman raisun (logic, logical reasoning), from Latin ratiō (reason, calculation, procedure), from reor (to reckon, calculate, think), from Proto-Italic rēōr (to reckon, calculate, think), from PIE *h₂reh₁- (to think, reason, arrange), from *h₂er- (to join, fit, fix together) [source].

Other words from the same roots possibly include arachnid, art, ordinary, ornament, ratio and read in English, Rede (stream, current, flow) in German, araña (spider, chandelier) in Spanish, arment (herd of cattle or horses) in Catalan, гармония [ɡɐrˈmonʲɪjə] (harmony) in Russian [source].

One word for harmony (and melody) in Old English was swinsung, which came from swinsian (to sing) from Proto-West Germanic *swinisōn, from Proto-Germanic *swinisōną, from Proto-Germanic *swin- (to sound), from PIE *swenh₂- (to sound) [source].

Words from the same roots include assonance, sonata, sonnet, sound and swan in English, seinn (to play [an instrument], sing, warble, chatter) in Irish, honni (to claim, assert) in Welsh, and dzon (bell) in Polish [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Doomed Pride

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology we find out what links the word doom with words for judgement, courts and pride.

Maribo - Domhus (courthouse, 1920)

As a noun, doom [duːm] can mean:

  • Destiny, especially terrible
  • An undesirable fate
  • Dread; a feeling of danger

As a verb, to doom can mean:

  • To pronounce judgment or sentence on sb
  • To condem
  • To fix irrevocably the ill fate of sb

It comes from Middle English doom [doːm] (a judgement, [legal] decision, justice, authority), from Proto-West Germanic *dōm (judgement), from Proto-Germanic *dōmaz (judgement, fame, repute), from PIE *dʰóh₁mos (that which is put), from *dʰeh₁- (to do, put, place) [source].

English words from the same roots include deed, deem, defect and wisdom and other words ending in -dom [source].

Words in other languages from the same roots include doem (doom, condemnation, verdict, judgement) in Dutch, domare (judge, referee, umpire) in Swedish, domhus (courthouse) in Danish, дума (thought, meditation, duma [Russian legislature]) in Russian, duma (pride) in Polish, and dáil (tryst, betrothal, legislature) in Irish [source].

Incidentally, one word for court in Old English was dōmhūs (“judgement house”). It’s cognate with Danish domhus, and became dome-howse (a judgement hall) in Middle English [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Nemesis

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology we investigate the origins of the word nemesis.

Nemesis

Nemesis [ˈnɛməsɪs] can mean:

  • An enemy, especially an archenemy.
  • A person or character who specifically brings about the downfall of another person or character, as an agent of that character’s fate or destiny, especially within a narrative.
  • The personification of the “fatal flaw” of a dramatic hero in the style of Greek tragedy.
    Other meanings are available

It comes from Νέμεσῐς (Némesĭs – the Greek goddess of retribution), from Ancient Greek νέμεσις (némesis – distribution of what is due, righteous assignment of anger, wrath at anything unjust), from νέμω (némō – to deal out, distribute, dispense, count, hold, possess, pasture flocks), from Proto-Hellenic *némō from Proto-Indo-European *nem(h₁)- (to distribute, give, take) [source].

Words from the same roots include ņemt (to take, seize) in Latvian, nehmen (to take, hold, grasp) in German, nimma (to understand) in Swedish, nimble and number in English, nimh (poison, venom) in Irish and possibly nant (stream, brook) in Welsh [source].

The English word numb also comes from the same roots. It was originally the past participle of nim (to take, seize, steal – obsolete / archaic), which comes from Middle English nimen (to (under)take, draw, enter), from Old English niman (to take), from Proto-West Germanic *neman (to take), from Proto-Germanic *nemaną (to take), from PIE *nem(h₁)- (to distribute, give, take) [source].

The word nimps (easy – northern England) also possibly comes from the same roots, as do overnim (to take away, rob) and nimmer (a petty thief) [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Fishing for Fish

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology we fish for the origins of the word fish.

#fish

Fish [fɪʃ] can refer to:

  • A typically cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water, moving with the help of fins and breathing with gills.
  • Any animal (or any vertebrate) that lives exclusively in water.
  • As a verb it can mean: To hunt fish or other aquatic animals in a body of water, or to collect coral or pearls from the bottom of the sea.

Other meanings are available, and some would say there’s no such thing as a fish.

It comes from Middle English fisch [fiʃ] (fish, and other animals that live in water), from Old English fisċ / fix / ᚠᛁᛋᚳ [fiʃ / fisk] (fish), from Proto-West Germanic *fisk, from Proto-Germanic *fiskaz [ˈɸis.kɑz] (fish), from Proto-Indo-European *peysk- (fish) [source].

Words from the same PIE root include vis (fish) in Dutch, fisk (fish, Pisces) in Swedish, peixe (fish) in Portuguese, pez (fish, idiot) in Spanish, pêcher (to fish) in French, pysgodyn (fish) in Welsh, iasc (fish) in Irish, and piscine (fishy, pertaining to fish) and piscatorial (pertaining to fish, fishing or fishermen) in English [source].

The Proto-Indo-European *peysk- (fish) only has descendents in the Germanic, Romance and Celtic languages. Another PIE root for fish is *dʰǵʰúHs, which became ձուկ (juk – fish, calf muscle) in Armenian, zivs (fish) in Latvian, žuvis (fish) in Lithuanian, and ιχθύς (ichthýs – fish) in Greek – (archaic) appears mainly in compounds such as χθυοπώλης (ichthyopólis – fishmonger) [source].

ichthyosaur

Some fish-related words in English also come from the same roots, via Ancient Greek ἰχθύς [ixˈθis] (ikhthús, fish, stupid person). These include: ichthyology (fish science), ichthyosaur (any fishlike marine reptiles of the extinct order Ichthyosauria), ichthyolatry (the worship of fish or fish-shaped idols), and ichthyophobia (fear of fish) [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Rest Awhile

By Simon

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What does the word while have to do with resting? Let’s find out in this Adventure in Etymology on Radio Omniglot.

Lying in the sun

While [waɪl / wæl] as a noun means an uncertain duration of time, a period of time, or an uncertain long (or short) period of time. As a conjunction it means during that same time, although or as long as, and as a verb it means to pass (time) idly, e.g. to while away hours, days, etc. or to occupy or entertain (sb) in order to let time pass.

It comes from Middle English whyle [ˈhwiːl(ə)] (while), from Old English hwīl [xwiːl] (while, period of time), from Proto-West Germanic *hwīlu (period of time, pause, while), from Proto-Germanic *hwīlō [ˈxʷiː.lɔː] (time, while, break, pause, period of rest), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (to rest, rest, peace) [source].

Words from the same PIE root include pokój (room, peace) in Polish, quedo (quite, still) in Spanish, quitter (to leave, quit) in French, tranquillo (calm, sober, tranquil) in Italian, hvile (rest, repose) in Danish, and quiet, quit, quite, quiescent, acquiesce, tranquil, requiem, and coy in English [source].

I hope that reading and/or listening to this podcast has been worth your while. In a while, there will be a new Adventure in Etymology. Meanwhile, you might find it worthwhile to while away a little (or long) while look at / listening to past episodes of this and other Radio Omniglot podcasts.

By the way, if someone tells you they’ll do something in a little while or in a while, how long would you expect to wait?

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Unkempt Combs

By Simon

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You can be unkempt, but can you be just kempt? Let’s find out in this Adventure in Etymology on Radio Omniglot.

Llama, Unkempt
An unkempt llama

Unkempt [ˌʌnˈkɛmpt] means uncombed or dishevelled (hair), disorderly, untidy, messy, rough or unpolished.

It comes from unkemmed, from Middle English kembed (well-combed, neat), from kemben [ˈkɛm(b)ən] (to comb), from Old English cemben [ˈkem.bɑn] (to comb), from Proto-West Germanic *kambijan (to comb), from Proto-Germanic *kambijaną (to comb), from *kambaz (comb) from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (tooth, peg), from *ǵembʰ- (to bite, chomp) [source].

combs
Combs

Words from the same roots possibly include dhëmb (tooth) in Albanian, zub (tooth) in Slovak, kampa (comb) and hammas (tooth, cog, sprocket) in Finnish, kam (comb, ridge) in Dutch, and comb in English [source].

The word kempt does exist in English and means neat and tidy, especially when talking about hair. These days it is usually used humorously, but it was more commonly used in the past [source].

Camshaft
A camshaft

Incidentally, the English word cam, as in camshaft, camwheel, etc, comes from the same roots, via Dutch kam (comb, ridge). The Dutch word was also borrowed into French as came (cam, stuff, trinket), Italian as camma (cam), and into other languages [source]

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Celtic Pathways – Birches

By Simon

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In this episode we unearth the Celtic roots of words for birch (tree) in various languages.

Birch forest

The Proto-Celtic word *betuyā means birch tree, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *gʷetu-yo-s, from *gʷet- (resin, gum) [source].

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • beith = birch (tree), letter B in Ogham (ᚁ) in Irish
  • beithe [behə] birch, birch wood/forest in Scottish Gaelic
  • beih = birch (tree) in Manx
  • bedw [ˈbɛdʊ] = birch(es), birch grove, maypole, birch-rod in Welsh
  • besow = birches in Cornish
  • bezv [ˈbɛ(z)w] = birches in Breton

More details of words for birch in Celtic languages can be found in the Celtiadur post Birch (trees).

Words from the same Proto-Celtic roots, via Gaulish *bitu/betua and Latin *betius, include betulla (birch) in Italian, bouleau (birch) in French, βετούλη (vetoúli – birch) in Greek, and abedul (birch) in Spanish [source].

The botanical Latin name for the genus, Betula (birch), also comes from the same roots [source].

Incidentally, the English word birch comes from Middle English birche (birch), from Old English bierċe (birch), from Proto-West Germanic *birkijā (birch), from Proto-Germanic *birkijǭ (birch), from PIE *bʰerHǵos (birch), from *bʰerHǵ- (to shine, to gleam, whiten) [source].

Words from the same roots possibly include: bredh (fir tree) in Albanian, björk (birch) in Swedish, béržas (birch) in Lithuanian and březen (March) in Czech [source].

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Adventures in Etymology – Sticky Climbs

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology we uncover the sticky roots of the word climb.

Red squirrel

Meanings of climb [klaɪm] include:

  • To ascend, rise or go up
  • To mount, move upwards
  • To scale, get to the top of
  • To move by gripping with the hands and using the feet

It comes from Middle English climben [ˈkli(ː)mbən / ˈkli(ː)mən] (to climb, scale, ascend) – the b was no longer pronounced in Late Middle English – from Old English climban [ˈklim.bɑn] (to climb), from Proto-West Germanic *klimban (to climb), from Proto-Germanic *klimbaną (to climb), probably from *klibāną (to stick, adhere) from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (to smear, to stick, putty, glue) [source].

Words from the same roots possibly include glue, gluten, clay, to cleave, cliff, cloth in English, klimmen (to climb) and kleven (to stick, glue) in Dutch, glynu (to stick, adhere) in Welsh, and glina (clay, loam) in Polish [source].

The English word clamber (to climb with difficulty or in a haphazard fashion) possibly also comes from the same roots, and is related to klambra (to clamp) in Icelandic and klamra (to cling) in Swedish [source].

Incidentally, the word to cleave can mean both to split or sever something with a sharp instrument, and to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something. The second meaning shares common roots with climb, but the first doesn’t [source]

Instead, it comes from Middle English cleven (to cleave, split, slice), from Old English clēofan (to cleave, split), from Proto-West Germanic *kleuban (to split, cleave), from Proto-Germanic *kleubaną (to split, cleave), from Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ- (to cut, to slice) [source].

Related words include cleft and glyph in English, kloof (gap, gorge, ravine) in Dutch (and in Afrikaans and South African English), and глубокий [ɡɫʊˈbokʲɪj] (deep, profound) in Russian [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.