Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/294

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only, prop. a LG. word, of which the strictly HG. variant pfrëcken is once recorded in late MidHG. Comp. Du. prikkelen (prikken), ‘to prick, stitch,’ AS. prician, E. to prick, and prickle, equiv. to Du. prikkel; these words are based on an OTeut. root prik, which, in spite of the initial p, cannot have been borrowed.

Priester, m., ‘priest,’ from the equiv. MidHG. priester, OHG. priestar (prêstar), m.; corresponding to OSax. prêstar, Du. priester (AS. preôst, E. priest, OIc. prest-r). The cognates were borrowed, at a comparatively late period, from Lat. and Rom. presbyter (Gr. πρεσβύτερος), or rather from its shortened variant *prêster, whence also Fr. prêtre (OFr. prestre), as well as Ital. prete, Span. preste (likewise OIr. cruimther). The orig. sense, ‘elder,’ was a respectful term applied to the spiritual head of the community (orig. used perhaps only in addressing him); comp. Abt, Papst, and also Herr. The Lat. word was not adopted in OHG. before the 9th cent. (contemporaneously with predigen).

Prinz, m., ‘prince (of the blood),’ from MidHG. prinze, m., ‘prince (sovereign ruler)’; borrowed in the 13th cent. from the equiv. Fr. prince (whence also E. prince, Ital. prence), which is derived from Lat. princeps.

Prise, f., ‘capture, prize; pinch (of snuff)’; ModHG. only, from Fr. prise.

Pritsche, f., ‘bat, racket, wooden sword of a harlequin,’ from late MidHG. *britze, f., which is only implied, however, by the two compounds — britzelmeister, ModHG. Pritschelmeister, ‘a harlequin carrying a wooden sword with which he directs the order of the game,’ and britzelslahen, ‘blow with the wooden sword.’ The meaning ‘wooden conch’ points to a connection between Pritsche and Brett.

Probe, f., ‘proof, trial, test, sample,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. prôbe, f., which is derived from Ital. proba, ‘proof’ (comp. Fr. épreuve).

Probst and Provoß, see Propst.

prophezeien, vb., ‘to prophesy,’ ModHG. only, a derivative of MidHG. prophezîe (prophetîe), f., ‘prophecy.’ Allied to MidHG. prophezieren, ‘to prophesy.’

Propst, m., ‘provost,’ from MidHG. probest, brobest, OHG. probost, probist (provost), ‘superintendent, overseer, provost,’ a loan-word from Lat. and Rom. propositus (syncopated propostus), prœpositus, whence

Ital. prevosto, ‘provost,’ Fr. prevôt, ‘assistant, provost.’ The word was borrowed by OHG. in the 9h cent. Profoß is a later loan-word, which, like Du. provoost, ‘marshal (navy), provost-marshal,’ E. provost, has assumed different meanings by connection with OFr. prevost. AS. profast agrees with the G. words in substituting the prefix pro for prae. Comp. Pfründe.

prüfen, vb., ‘to try, examine, prove, test,’ from MidHG. prüeven, brüeven (pret. pruofte), wk. vb., ‘to demonstrate, consider, count, test, put right’; this vb., which is of frequent occurrence from the 12th cent., is based on OFr. prover (ModFr. prouver), which is again derived, like Ital. provare, from Lat. prŏbâre. The abnormal üe of the MidHG. vb. comes from East Fr. üe (East Fr. prüeve, from Lat. prŏbat). Comp. Fr. prouver, éprouve, E. proof (even in AS. prôfian, ‘to demonstrate’). With regard to the treatment of Lat. ŏ in recent loan-words see further Schule.

Prügel, m., ‘cudgel,’ from late MidHG. brügel, m., ‘club’; allied to MidHG. brüge, ‘wooden platform.’ The history of the word is obscure.

Prunk, m., ‘parade, ostentation,’ ModHG. only, prop. a LG. word. Comp. the equiv. Du. pronk, which is perhaps allied to prangen.

Psittich, see Sittich.

Pudel, m., ‘poodle, slattern; blunder,’ ModHG. only; of obscure origin.

Puder, m., ‘powder, hair-powder,’ ModHG. only, from Fr. poudre.

puffen, vb., ‘to puff, buffet, cuff,’ ModHG. only, prop. a LG. word; comp. Du. pof, ‘thrust, blow, credit’ (whence ModHG. Puff in the sense of ‘credit’), probably allied also to bobbien, buffen, ‘to strike,’ E. buffet, subst. and vb.; puff (hence the meaning of Puff, ‘puffing of a sleeve’), and to puff (AS. pyffan). “The close proximity of the meanings ‘to blow’ (inflate) and ‘to strike’ is not unusual; Fr. souffer and soufflet furnish a ready example; the Rom. languages have the same stem,” though it is not necessary to assume that one was borrowed from the other; the stem buf may have originated independently as an imitative form in both groups. Comp. Ital. buffo, ‘blast of wind,’ buffettare, ‘to snort,’ Span. bofetada, ‘box on the ear.’

Puls, m., ‘pulse,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. puls, m. and f.; Lat. pulsus (akin to pulsare, ‘to beat’), ‘beat’ (of the pulse),