Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/284

---

Pein, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pîne, pîn, OHG. pîna, f., ‘pain, punishment, torture’; adopted during the OHG. period on the introduction of Christianity from Lat. poena, which was pronounced pêna in MidLat. (comp. Ital. pena); MidLat. ê appears in HG. as î in other cases also (see Kreide and Feier), Comp. OSax. pîna, Du. pijn, AS. pîn, E. pine (a later variant of pain); also OIr. pían (gen. péne).

Peitsche, f., ‘whip, lash,’ early ModHG., from Bohem. bič (Pol. bicz).

Pekesche, f., ‘laced coat, hussar's jacket,’ from Pol. bekiesza.

Pelikan, m., ‘pelican,’ from MidHG. pellicân, m., formed from Lat. pelicanus.

Pelle, f. (LG.), equiv. to Du. pel, E. peel.

Pelz, m., from the equiv. MidHG. bellîȥ, belz, pelz, m., ‘fur,’ borrowed in the 10th cent. (OHG. pellĭȥ) from the equiv. MidLat.-Rom. pellicia, ‘fur’; comp. Ital. pelliccia, Fr. pelisse. It corresponds to AS. pylce, E. pelt.

Pennal, n. ‘pen-case,’ ModHG. only, formed from MidLat. pennale; with this comp. Pennal meaning, ‘grammar-school, high-school, pupil.’ To the students at the university the school might seem as a huge array of pen-cases, and “in jest the freshman too was called a ‘pen-case,’ probably because he attended lectures regularly, and so carried his pen-case with him.”

Perle, f., ‘pearl,’ from the equiv. MidHG. përle, bërle, OHG. bërla, përala, f.; a foreign word, as the fluctuating initial sound indicates. It corresponds to the Rom. cognates, Ital. perla, Fr. perle, whence also E. pearl; derived probably from Lat. *pirula, ‘little pear.’ In Goth., marikreitus, a corrupt form of Lat. margarita, was used, corresponding to AS. mere-greót, OHG. męri-grioȥ, MidHG. męregrieȥ. —

Perlmutter, f., ‘mother of pearl, late MidHG., formed like Fr. mère-perle (Ital. madre-perla); so too E. mother of pearl. Perlmutter is lit. ‘producer of pearls inside the mussel.’

Pest, f., ‘pest, plague,’ ModHG. only, from Lat. pestis. —

Pestilenz, f. ‘pestilence,’ even in MidHG. pestilenzie, pestilenz, f., from Lat. pestilentia.

Petersilie, f., ‘parsley,’ from MidHG. pêtersil, m., pêtersilje, m., OHG. pêtarsile; borrowed from MidLat. petrosilium (Gr. πετροσέλινον), ‘parsley.’ In the UpG. dials. a shortened form is found, Peterli, Peterle (Peterling).

Petschaft, n., ‘signet, seal,’ from MidHG. petschat, petschaft, n.; borrowed from the equiv. Bohem. pečet (OSlov. pečati); the f of the MidHG. and ModHG. words was introduced by associating them with Schaft.

Petze, f., ‘bitch, she-bear’; early ModHG.; its relation to the equiv. E. bitch (from AS. bičče) and Fr. biche is uncertain.

Pfad, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pfat (gen. pfades), OHG. pfad, m., ‘path, track’; OSax. *path is wanting; Du. pad, AS. pœþ, m., E. path. The word is unknown to East Teut., and thus the difficulty of determining its origin is greatly enhanced. The prevalent opinion, which is based on the supposition, probably correct in the main, that the words beginning with HG. pf and LG. p are borrowed, is satisfied with the phonetic similarity to Gr. πάτος, ‘path, road,’ to prove the fact that Pfad is borrowed from the latter. With regard to this point we have to take into account the þ of the E. word, which is assumed by HG., and which proves the existence of Pfad in G. before the beginning of our era. But Teut. has no such early loanwords of Gr. origin (see Hanf). As we have no data, we cannot decide whether the word was introduced through a foreign medium; it is possible the word was borrowed indirectly from Gr., but the assumption that it was adopted directly from Scyth. is equally valid; comp. Zend paþ (also paþan, panþan), ‘way.’ In the latter case it must have passed into G. after the primit. Teut. permutation; Hanf was borrowed before this period. Its primit. kinship with Gr. πάτος, ‘way’ (Sans. panthan, path, Zend paþan), must be decidedly rejected because Teut. f would correspond to p in the non-Teut. languages. Comp. Humpen.

Pfaffe, m., ‘priest, parson,’ from MidHG. pfaffe, OHG. pfaffo, m., ‘priest’; corresponding to LG. and Du. pape, ‘priest’; the common prim. form is păpo. The MidLat. term is clericus. The usual assumption that the word is derived from Lat. pâpa, which was in the Western Church a respectful term applied to bishops and a title of the Pope, does not account for the fact that the term means ‘priest’ in all the Teut. dialects of MidEur., and therefore must be decidedly rejected. In the Greek Church a distinction was made