Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 11.djvu/149

 9* 8. XL FEB. 21, 1903.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

141

LONDON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 91, 190S.

CONTENTS. -No. 269.

NOTES : Notes on Skeat's ' Concise Dictionary,' 141 'Paston Letters' and the 'N.E.D.,' 142 'Burial of Sir John Moore': Author and Date, 143 Closing of Royal Aquarium Schoolboy Literature, 1710" Pillow-ber," 145 Cornish Rimes in Epitaph Montaigne's Birthplace Craigcrook Lyceum Theatre Staircase, 146.

QUERIES : Mrs. Glasse " Should he upbraid," 147 Wordsworth Centenary" I would that my heart," &c. Quotations Folk-lore or Botany' English Kings : an Estimate 'Mr. Janes Wilbye " Societas aurata," 148 " Bagman " = Commercial Traveller Rollings Eliza-

Vixen. ' Concise ' says that "fyxen is made from fox by vowel-change of Teut. u (A.-S. o) to y" This cannot be correct, for the regular mutation of O.E. o is not y, but e e.g., exert, pi. of oxa, an ox ; see Sievers's Grammar,' 93. The fact is that O.E. fyxen represents a Germanic type fuhslnjo, with Germanic u preserved (not changed to o) ; cp. O.H.G. fuhslu (now fuchsin). To say, therefore, that "fyxen is made from fox " is an inexact statement tending to confuse the student. The same correction has to be made under the word "kernel." This word is a

maker " " Swelp " " Fruitarian " Cisiojanus sellor Lacy, 149. REPLIES : -Paucity of Books in Shakespeare's Time, 150 "Spheres of influence "Records in Maternity Con- stantinople, 152 Ancient Demesne or Cornwall Fee Jews and Eternal Punishment, 153 Frederick Tennyson Bacon on Hercules Dairy Windows, 154 Plotting Par- lour" Muskeg Berry "Retarded Germination of Seeds, 155 "Cup of trembling" Danteiana Queen Siv j Lord Whitehill Fashion in Language, 156" Place " Fireback

tineau " Corroboree " "Shis'n" and " This'n," 158. _.

NOTES ON BOOKS : ' Encyclopaedia Britannica,' Supple- the Original word was VOie-mOUSC,

ment, Vol. IX. ' Quarterly Review '' Devon Notes and j a nothing equivalent to " la.rv

Queries.' Notices to Correspondents.

Itate.

a Germanic type kuruilom.

Vole (a field-mouse). ' Concise ' says that "vole" is for " vole-mouse," and that the vole " in this compound is identical with the Norwegian dialect word voll (a field, a wold). We are told that "vole" is a modern word, would be very difficult to account for the introduction into England in modern times of a Norwegian dialect word, unless for a pro- duct of Norway. Again, 'Concise' says that mouse." But there vole-mouse" as a

name for~the~ field-mouse in any Norwegian dialect. The compound " vole-mouse " must, therefore, have been formed in England. But no one has ever heard of such a word as vole," meaning a field, borrowed from the Norwegian. So this etymology of " vole " (a field-mouse) must be given up, as it implies a derivation from an English-formed compound "vole- mouse," with "vole" meaning " field " a word which does not exist in any English

NOTES ON SKEAT'S 'CONCISE

DICTIONARY,' 1901. (See 9 th S. x. 83, 221, 356, 461 ; xi. 43.) Liege. 'Concise' says that the derivation of this French feudal term is disputed. May I point out that there is no good reason for I dialect, doubting the identity of O.F. liege with Ger. Puppy. ' Concise ' says Fr. poupee repre- ledig (earlier ledic} ? They are identical in gents a Lat. type pupdta. This is impossible, meaning, both words connoting freedom from as Fr. ou cannot come from a Lat. u, nor feudal service except to one's direct feudal Fr. p from an intervocalic Lat. p. Fr. poupe'e superior. And there is no difficulty in identi- requires a popular Lat. type puppata, just as fying the two words on the score of form. O.F. poupe (a teat) represents a popular Lat. That a form ledic would become liege in Old | type puppa ; see Hatzf eld's ' Diet.' (s.v.).

French may be assumed from the cases of

see Hatzfeld's ' Diet/ Punt. * Concise ' connects O.E. punt (a flat-

miege (Lat. medicum), piege (Lat. pedica), bottomed boat) with Gr. KOVTOS (a pole), and siege (pop. Lat. sedicum). For confirmatory derives both words from an original type evidence of this etymology of liege see 'H.E.D.' qontos. But in the first place the meaning of Sooth. ' Concise ' says " soS stands for a flat-bottomed boat is quite distinct from of o." Is not this explanation putting the propelled on its way by the latter. And, cart before the horse ? The usual way of secondly, an original type qontds would have accounting for the change from south to 6C given TTOVTOS in Greek, just as an original is to suppose that the n first nasalized the type qolos has given TroAos. Gr. vowel, which was lengthened after the dis- appearance of the nasal. There is no evi- dence from any analogy that south became south. On this point see Sievers's ' Grammar,' 1898, 66. The same correction has to be made under the words "goose" and " tooth."
 * sonth, the loss of n following the lengthening that of a pole, though the former may be

KOVTOS IS

generally held to be a genuine Greek word connected with Kei'reto.

Wattle. ' Concise ' connects O.E. watul (a hurdle) with mod. E. weed (a garment) and the pre-Germanic root we (to weave). But is such a connexion phonologically possible?