Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/154

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caorresponds both to the HG. word and to Goth. hallus, AS. heall, which are translations of ‘petra’; see Holm. These may be further related to HG. Halde, which, however, is more closely connected with Goth. *halþs, ‘inclined’; comp. AS. heald, OIc. hallr, OHG. hald, adj., ‘overhanging, inclined’; yet the dental in these words may be a suffix. If Goth. hallus, ‘rock,’ were allied, OIc. hváll, hóll (Goth. *hwêlus), m., ‘hill,’ might be compared, as well as AS. hyll, E. hill. For an Aryan root kel, ‘to rise,’ comp. Lat. celsus, collis, and Lith. kalnas, ‘hill.’

Hälfte, f., ‘half’ ModHG. simply, abstract of halb. Introduced by Luther into the literary language from MidG. and LG. (a strictly HG. word would end in b instead of f; comp. OSax. half, under halb); the Teut. type is probably halƀiþa?. In UpG. Halbteil (16th cent.) is used.

Halfter, f., from the equiv. MidHG. halfter, OHG. halftra, f., ‘halter’; comp. Du. halster, AS. hœlstre, E. halter; a West Teut. word most closely allied with OHG. halp, MidHG. halp, plur. helbe, ‘handle, helve,’ AS. hylf, m., equiv. to E. helve; in earlier ModHG. also Helb, ‘hilt, helve.’ From the same root are formed with a suffix m, OHG. halmo (for *halbmo), in OHG. jioh-halmo, MidHG. giech-halme, ‘rope fastened to the yoke to guide the oxen,’ MidHG. halme, ‘handle, helve, lever of a bell,’ halm-ackes, ‘axe’ (comp. also Hellebarte), likewise MidE. halme, ‘handle’; so too the modified forms OHG. joh-helmo, MidHG. giech-helme; AS. helma, ‘handle’ (equiv. also to E. helm), and Du. helmstock, ‘tiller,’ are not connected with this word; see Helm (2). ‘Handle’ is the orig. sense of the whole group, and even of Halfter. Perhaps Lith. keltuvě, ‘swiple of a flail,’ is allied.

Hall, m., ‘sound’; see hell.

Halle, f., ‘hall, large room, entrance hall, porch,’ unknown to MidHG. The word, which was introduced by Luther into the literary language, was originally entirely unknown to the UpG. dials. (in earlier UpG. Vorschopf was used); it may have originated among the Franc. and Sax. tribes of Germany. It is a thorough OTeut. term; OIc. hǫll, f., AS. heall, f., E. hall, OSax. halla, MidLG. halle, f., ‘hall, a large room covered with a roof and open or closed at the side,’ sometimes ‘temple, house of God.’ Not allied to Goth. hallus,

AS. heall, ‘rock,’ AS. and E. hill. From the OG. is derived Fr. halle. Against the derivation from the root hel, ‘to conceal’ (comp. hehlen), there is no weighty objection, Halle, ‘the concealed or covered place.’ Yet comp. also Sans. çâlâ, ‘house.’ —

Halle, f., ‘saltern,’ is the ordinary G. Halle, not, as was formerly supposed, a Kelt. term (W. halen, ‘salt’); Halloren, a late Lat. derivative of Halle, ‘saltern.’ Comp. OHG. halhûs, ‘salt-house,’ MidHG. halgrâve, m., ‘director and judge in matters connected with salt-mines.’

hallen, vb., ‘to sound, resound’; comp. hell.

Halm, m. and n., ‘stalk, stem, straw,’ from MidHG. halm, m., and halme, m., OHG. and OSax. halm, m.; comp. AS. healm, E. halm; the meaning in West Teut. is ‘grass or corn-stalk’; Scand. halmr, ‘straw.’ In sense and sound corresponding to Lat. calamus, Gr. κάλαμος, ‘reed, reed-pen, halm’ (Ind. kalamas, ‘reed-pen’), OSlov. slama, f., ‘halm.’ Perhaps the Lat. word is derived from Gr.; it is also conceivable that Halm, like Hanf, was obtained from a South Russ. tribe by the Aryans who had migrated westwards. Yet it is more probable that Halm and Gr. κάλαμος, like Lat. culmus, ‘stalk,’ are connected with Lat. culmen, ‘peak, summit,’ and farther with excello.

Hals, m., ‘neck,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. hals, m.; corresponding to OSax. and Du. hals, AS. heals (E. to halse, ‘embrace,’ but now antiquated; the modern word is neck), OIc. hals, m., ‘neck,’ Goth. hals (gen. halsis), m.; all point to a common Teut. mas., halsa-. Primit. allied to Lat. collum for *colsum, n., ‘neck’ (OLat. also collus, m.); comp. also Gr. κλοιός, ‘collar’ (from *κλοσιός)?. Whether Lat. excello, excelsus, are also primit. allied (Hals, lit. ‘prominent part of the body’) remains uncertain. From Teut. is derived Fr. haubert, OFr. halberc, ‘hauberk,’ from hals-bërg(a). —

halsen, vb., from the equiv. MidHG. halsen, OHG. halsôn, ‘to embrace, fall on one's neck’; comp. Du. omhelzen, ÁAS. healsian, ‘to implore,’ MidE. halsien, Scand. hálsa, ‘to embrace.’

halt, adv., ‘moreover, forsooth, methinks,’ prop. a compar. meaning ‘rather,’ MidHG. and OHG. halt, adv., OSax. hald, ‘rather’; orig. a compar. adv. of the posit. adv. halto, ‘very.’ The compar. ending, according to the law of apocope, has dis-