Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/268

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Na
( 246 )
Nac

N.

na, particle, ‘well then! now!’ ModHG. only, unknown to MidHG.; scarcely identical with the interrog. particle na, which Notker (OHG.) uses at the end and in the middle of interrog. sentences expressed negatively.

Nabe, f., from the equiv. MidHG. nabe, OHG. naba, f., ‘nave (of a wheel)’; corresponding to Du. naaf, aaf, nave (see Näber, Natter), AS. nafu, f., E. nave, OIc. nǫf, f., all of which have the same meaning; Goth. *naba, f., is by chance not recorded. Both the word and the idea are OAryan (primit. form nobhâ); comp. OInd. nãbhi, f., and nãbhya, n., ‘nave (of a wheel).’ Undoubtedly the cognates discussed under Nabel with the meaning ‘navel’ are primit. allied, the Ind. word nâbhi just quoted also signifying ‘navel,’ as well as Lett. naba, f., which is exactly equiv. in sound to OHG. naba. Hence Lat. umbo (for *onbo, *nobo), ‘boss (of a shield),’ may also be connected with umbilîcus, ‘navel’; comp. Gr. ὀμφαλός, ‘navel, boss (of a shield).’ With regard to the antiquity of the terms denoting parts of a waggon see Rad, Achse, Lünse, and Deichsel.

Nabel, m., ‘navel,’ from the equiv. MidHG. nabel, OHG. nabolo, m.; corresponding to Du. navel, AS. nafela, E. navel, OIc. nafle, m., ‘navel’; Goth. *nabala is by chance not recorded. A common Aryan word in the primit. forms nobhelo-, onbhelo-; comp. Gr. ὀμφαλός, Lat. umbilîcus (for *unbilîcus, *nobilîcus), Sans. nâbhîla, OIr. imbliu, ‘navel.’ These words are primit. l- derivatives of OAryan nóbkâ, onbhâ, ‘nave, navel,’ appearing in Nabe. In other cases the OAryan terms for parts of the body are mostly underived forms (see Herz and Ohr).

Naber, Näber, m., ‘auger, gimlet,’ from MidHG. nęgber, nagcber, m., a strange corruption (probably by connection with Nagel) of nębe-gêr, nabe-gêr, m., ‘auger’ (comp. Essig). Corresponding to OHG. naba-gêr, m., ‘auger,’ lit. ‘spear, pointed iron tool to bore naves,’ also AS. nafogâr, ‘auger,’ MidE. nevagǫ̂r, nauger, E. auger (with regard to the apparent loss of an initial n comp. E. adder, equiv. to ModHG. Otter; similarly Du. avegaar, ‘auger,’ as well as aaf, are, ‘nave’), equiv. to OLG.

nabugêr, Scand. nafarr, ‘auger.’ An OTeut. compound, whence Finn. napakaira, ‘auger.’

nach, prep., ‘after, behind, in accordance with,’ from MidHG. nâch, OHG. nâh, prep., ‘after, near to, beside’; comp. Goth. nêhw, nêhwa. prep., ‘near to’; allied to the adj. nahe, OHG. nâh, Goth. nêhws.

nachahmen, see ahmen.

Nachbar, m., ‘neighbour,’ from the equiv. MidHG. nâchgebûr, OHG. nâhgibûr, nâhgibûro, m.; corresponding to Du. nabuur, AS. nêhhebûr, m., E. neighbour; a common West Teut. compound, pointing to Goth. *nêhwagabûr, m.; it signifies ‘he who lives near to another.’ Comp. Bauer.

Nachen, m., ‘boat, skiff,’ from the equiv. MidHG. nache, OHG. nahho, m.; corresponding to OSax. naco, Du. naak, aak (respecting the form without n see Näber), AS. naca, m. (obsolete in later E.); OIc. nǫkkve, m., ‘boat’; Goth. *naqa, m., is by chance not recorded (see also Rahn). Its origin is obscure; perhaps Lat. nâv-is, Gr. ναῦ-ς, Sans. nãus, are allied, Lat. nav- being changed to naq. Comp. queck.

nachschlagen, see Geschlecht.

Nächste, m., the superl. of nahe used as a subst., ‘neighbour, fellow-man’; comp. OHG. nâhisto, m., ‘neighbour’; in Goth. nêhwundja, m., ‘neighbour.’

Nacht, f., ‘night,’ from the equiv. OHG. and MidHG. naht, f.; corresponding to Goth. nahts, OIc. nótt, AS. neaht, niht, E. night, Du. nacht, OSax. naht, f.; a common OTeut. naht-, f., from common Aryan nokt-, ‘night.’ Comp. Lat. nox (stem nocti-), Gr. νύξ (νυκτ-), Sans. nákta-, naktan-, n., nákti-, f., Lith. naktìs, OSlov. noštĭ. While the word ‘night’ is common to all the Aryan languages, they differ considerably in the terms for ‘day’; this is due to the fact that time in the primit. Aryan period was counted by nights and not by days; relics of this method are seen in Fastnacht, ‘Shrove Tuesday,’ Weihnachten, ‘Christmas,’ and E. fortnight, sennight (comp. Ostern and Osten). Only a few main divisions of time, such as Monat and Jahr, are widely diffused.

Nachtigall, f., ‘nightingale,’ from the equiv. MidHG. nahtegal, OHG. nahte-gala, f.; a term common to the West Teut. languages for ‘luscinia,’ prop. ‘singer in the