Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/287

---

between the Continental Ger. and E. words, at a very early date (about the 4th cent.). “It appears even in the earliest MidLat.; parcus, parricus (Leg. Rip. and Leg. Angl.), parc (Leg. Bajuv.), in the latter instance as ‘granary,’” and also in early Rom.; comp. Fr. parc, ‘pen, park’ (see Park), Ital. parco. E. park is based partly on Rom. and partly on the AS. word. The source of all the cognates is incorrectly ascribed to Kelt.; comp. Gael. pâirc, W. parc, parwg.

Pferd, n., ‘horse,’ from MidHG. pfërt (-des), n., ‘horse,’ espec. ‘riding-horse, lady’s horse’ (in contrast to Roß, ‘war-horse’), with the earlier variants pfërit for *pfërirît, OHG. (from the 10th cent.) pferfrī̆t, pfarifrī̆d; corresponding to LG. pęrid, Du. paard. The word seems to be Franc. and Sax. (in the UpG. dials. the old terms Roß and Gaul are still the prevalent terms; it was probably borrowed (about the 8th cent.?) from the early MidLat. paraverêdus, parifredus (f for v as in Käfig; the change of v into f in this case, however, is common to Teut.). Parverêdus, ‘horse,’ lit. ‘near horse,’ is derived from Gr. παρά and MidLat. verêdus, ‘horse’ (allied to Kelt. rêda, ‘waggon’). In the Kelt. group, W. gorwydd, ‘steed,’ was retained. The Rom. languages retain the MidLat. word (in the MidLat. collateral form palafrêdus, palafrênus) in the sense of ‘palfrey’; comp. Fr. palefroi (E. palfrey), Lat. palafreno.

Pfetter, see Pate.

Pfifferling, m., ‘toadstool,’ from MidHG. pfifferling, pfëfferling, m., ‘curry mushroom.’

Pfingsten, plur., ‘Whitsuntide,’ from MidHG. pfingsten, which in form is really a dat. plur. (comp. Mitternacht), and was used at an early period for all cases; OHG. zi *pfingustin, ‘Whitsuntide,’ is by chance not recorded (Notker uses a pedantic semi-version, zi finfchustin). Formed from Lat. and Gr. πεντεκοστή (Ital. pentecoste, Fr. pentecôte), lit. ‘fiftieth day after Easter’; OSax. te pincoston, ‘at Whitsuntide,’ Du. pinksteren, as well as OSlov. pętikostij, Whitsuntide.’ While the term Ostern, applied to the Christian passover, was orig. a heathen word, which has been retained in E. and G., in this instance the ecclesiastical name obtained on the Continent, and that probably prior to the OHG. period, as the initial pf in MidHG. indicates; it was perhaps introduced through a Goth. medium contemporaneously with

Kirche and Pfaffe. In E., Whitsunday (Scand. hoítadagr) was retained from a very early period, since it was the chief day for baptism, and the newly baptized were wont to wear white garments during that week; hence the G. term ‘der weiße Sonntag’. (Dominica in Albis). From quinquagesima, the frequent rendering in MidLat. of pentecoste, are derived MidDu. sinxen, OIr. cincgigais, ‘Whitsuntide.’

Pfinztag, m., ‘Thursday,’ from MidHG. pfinztac; a word peculiar to Bav.-Austr., based on Goth. *pinta, equiv. to Gr. πέμπτη (Mod. Gr. πέφτη), ‘Thursday.’ It seems to have been introduced by Arians with Pfingsten and Samstag (see also Kirche and Pfaffe); comp. OSlov. pętŭkŭ, ‘Friday.’

Pfirsich, m. and f. (s after r as in Mörser and Hirse; yet Suab. pfêršiχ), from the equiv. MidHG. pfërsich, m., ‘peach’ (comp. Ital. pesca, Fr. pêche, whence E. peach). Although the word is not recorded until the 12th cent., Lat. persicum was naturalised in Germany even prior to the OHG. period (so too in England; comp. AS. persoc), as the permutation of the initial p to pf indicates (comp. Lärche and Pflaume), while Birne was adopted within the latter era. With regard to the gender see Pflaume. With the introduction of horticulture and fruit-growing from the South, numerous names of fruit passed into G.; see Kirsche, Pflaume, and pfropfen.

Pflanze, f., ‘plant, vegetable,’ from MidHG. pflanze, pflanza, f.; from the equiv. Lat. and Rom. planta (Fr. plante, Ital. pianta), whence AS., E., and Du. plant (so too Ir. cland, W. plant). This term was borrowed at the same period as the words mentioned under Pfirsich.

Pflaster, n., ‘plaster, pavement,’ from MidHG. pflaster, OHG. pflastar, n., ‘plaster, court-plaster, cement, mortar, floor of cement or stones’; borrowed, perhaps contemporaneously with Büchse, in the 8th cent., from Gr.-Lat. ἔμπλαστρον (comp. Ital. empiastro, Fr. emplâtre), ‘plaster,’ which in MidLat. also assumed the meaning ‘gypsum’ (comp. ModFr. plâtre), and was shortened to plastrum; comp. Ital. piastrello, ‘small plaster.’ In the sense of ‘pavement’ MidHG. pflaster was first used at the end of the MidHG. period. Comp. E. plaster and to emplaster.

Pflaume, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pflûme, f., ‘plum’; borrowed, as the per-