Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/332

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cent.; from MidHG. slûr-affe (sluder-affe), ‘luxurious, thoughtless idler, sluggard,’ recorded in the 14th cent., and certainly of not much earlier date; the latter term is from MidHG. slûr, ‘sluggishness, lazy person,’ see schleudern, schlummern. The first detailed description of Schlaraffenland, of which the earliest mention is made in the 15th cent., was given in a farce by Hans Sachs in 1530 A.D.

schlau, adj., ‘sly, crafty, cunning,’ early ModHG. only, formed from LG. slû; comp. Du. sluw, ‘sly’; akin also probably to OIc. slœ́gr, MidE. sleigh, E. sly, which, as ModHG. verschlagen, ‘cunning,’ indicates, is perhaps connected with the root slah, ‘to strike.’ It is uncertain how far these terms are due to earlier loan-words, and whether OIc. slœ́gr is the ultimate source of them all.

Schlauch, m., ‘leather bag, bottle, or pipe, funnel,’ from MidHG. slûch, m., ‘skin, slough (of a snake), leather bag, pipe’; corresponding to E. slough, Swed. dial. slug. MidHG. slûch, ‘gullet, throat; gulf, abyss,’ is a different word; late OHG. slûch, m., ‘yawning chasm’ (allied to schlucken). ModHG. Schlund, as well as Lat. vorâgo, ‘abyss,’ allied to vorare, ‘to swallow up,’ shows a similar evolution in meaning; comp. Lat. faux, ‘gullet, throat, abyss.’

Schlauchmaul, n., ‘glutton,’ ModHG. only, connected with the cognates of schlucken.

schlecht, adj., ‘bad, base, mean,’ from MidHG. slëht, adj., ‘honest, straight, smooth, simple, clear, correct,’ OHG. slëht, ‘straight, even, honest, simple, gentle, friendly’; corresponding to Goth. slaíhts, ‘even, straight,’ OIc. sléttr, ‘straight, even, smooth, gentle,’ OFris. sliacht, ‘honest, simple’; Du. slecht, ‘honest, bad.’ MidE. and E. slight, since the AS. word is not recorded, is probably a Du. loan-word. The meanings are evolved from ‘straight, even, simple’ (see schlicht and schlichten), and has led in ModHG. to a peculiar development in malam partem. The origin of the common Teut. adj. (or to-partic.?) *slehta- is obscure; it cannot, on account of its form and meaning, be connected with schlagen; Gr. ὀλίγος, ‘trifling,’ does not suit the earlier meaning, ‘straight, even, simple.’

schlecken, vb., ‘to lick, lap, be dainty,’ from late MidHG. slëcken, ‘to eat dainties by stealth’; allied to MidHG. slëc, m., ‘daintiness, dainty mouth,’ and havenslëcke, ‘glutton’; OHG. *slëcchôn, ‘to be fond of

dainties,’ is wanting, as well as a corresponding term in any of the other OTeut. dials. Not allied to schlucken, but an intensive form of OIc. sl(illegible text)ikja, ‘to lick,’ which implies a Teut. root slī̆k, sloiq.

Schlegel, m., ‘mallet, sledge-hammer, drumstick,’ from MidHG. slęgel, OHG. slęgil, m., ‘implement for beating, club, flail, hammer’; from the root slah, ‘to strike.’ Comp. E. sledge, AS. slęcǧe, f., ‘hammer,’ from the same root.

Schlohe, f., ‘sloe,’ from the equiv. MidHG. slêhe, OHG. slêha, f.; a common Teut. term; comp. Du. slee, AS. slâ, slâhaœ, f., E. sloe, Swed. slån, Dan. slaaen, ‘sloe’; Goth. *slaihô, or rather *slaihwô, are by chance not recorded. The cognates are usually connected with LG. slee, ‘blunt’; comp. OHG. slêo, OSax. slêo (Du. sleeuw, ‘bitter, harsh’), AS. slâw (E. slow), OIc. sljór, slœ́r, ‘blunt,’ hence the lit. meaning of Schlehe is perhaps ‘the fruit that makes the teeth blunt.’ Yet the latter terms imply Goth. *slaiwa-, and the former Goth. *slaihô (*slaihwô), the explanation is dubious. So too, for the same reason, is the comparison with OSlov. sliva (Lith. slýwas), ‘plum,’ for which we should expect a Goth *sláiwô (though AS. slâ points to *sláihô).

schleichen, vb., ‘to creep, crawl, slink,’ from MidHG. slîchen, OHG. slîhhan, ‘to walk with a light sliding motion, creep’; ‘akin to MidHG. slī̆ch, m., ‘slime, mud,’ Du. slik, slijk, ‘slime, mud,’ MidE. slîken, ‘to creep,’ with which E. sleek and slick are connected; in the other languages the Teut. root slī̆k (pre-Teut. slī̆g) rarely occurs. — To this is allied Schleiche in Blindschleiche, f., ‘blind-worm,’ MidHG. blintslîche, OHG. blintslîcho, m. See Schlich.

Schleie, f., ‘tench,’ from the equiv. MidHG. slîe, OHG. slîo, m.; corresponding to AS. slîw, m., ‘tench’; Goth. *sleiws, m., or rather *sleiwa, m., is wanting. Perhaps the fish was so named from its slimy scales, so that Schleim may be allied.

Schleier, m., ‘veil, pretence,’ from MidHG. sleier, earlier variants sloier, slogier, m., ‘kerchief, veil’ (the MidHG. term floier is curious); comp. Du. sluijer, MidE. sleir. MidHG. sloier, first recorded in the 13th cent., is certainly a borrowed term; the assumption that it was introduced by the Crusaders from the East leads to no definite result. Perhaps it is connected with OIr. sról, ‘silk.’

Schleife, f., ‘slide; slip-knot, bow of