Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/339

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‘to wind,’ to which the secondary sense of ‘secrecy’ may belong; comp. Du. smuigen, ‘to enjoy oneself secretly.’

schmunzeln, vb., ‘to smile good-naturedly, simper,’ frequentative of MidHG. smutzen, smotzen, ‘to smirk, smile good-naturedly,’ to which MidHG. smutz, ModHG. (dial.) Schmutz, ‘kiss,’ is also probably allied. It is perhaps connected with Schmatz, schmatzen (from MidHG. smackezen).

Schmus, m., ‘talk, chaffering,’ ModHG. only; from Hebr. schĕmûôth, ‘news, tales’; hence Du. smousen, ‘to chaffer’?.

Schmutz, m., ‘dirt, filth,’ from the equiv. MidHG. smuz (-tzes), m., allied to MidHG. smotzen, ‘to be dirty’; also to Du. smet, ‘spot, dirt,’ smetten, ‘to get stained,’ smodderen, ‘to soil,’ E. smut, vb. and subst., MidE. bismitten, bismoteren, bismudden, ‘to stain, soil.’ It is uncertain whether these words are late graded forms of MidHG. smitzen, ‘to rub over.’

Schnabel, m., ‘beak, bill,’ from the equiv. MidHG. snabel, m., OHG. snabul, m.; corresponding to Du. snavel, ‘beak, trunk’ (of an elephant), sneb, ‘beak,’ OFris. snavel, ‘mouth.’ To these, from the relation of Malz to schmelzen (Aryan root meld, smeld), the following are also allied — Du. neb, f., ‘beak,’ E. nib, AS. nębb, ‘beak, face,’ OIc. nef, n., ‘nose’ (as well as ‘sharp-scented’). From Teut. are derived the cognates of Ital. niffo, ‘snout, trunk.’ Teut. snabja-, snabala- (from an Aryan root snap, nap), agrees with Lith. snápas, ‘beak.’ Comp. schnappen, Schnepfe, and Schneppe.

Schnack, m., ‘chit-chat, talk,’ ModHG. only, formed from MidG., LG., and Du. snakken, ‘to chatter, babble’; to this is allied ModHG. Schnake, ‘merry tale,’ from LG., also ‘merry fellow.’ Comp. Du. snaak, ‘buffoon.’

Schnake, f., ‘gnat, midge,’ from the equiv. MidHG. snâke, m. and f.; the sounds point to OHG. *snâko (from the base *snâggo; comp. Hafen, from the base *hâggo). The prop. LG. schnake, f., ‘water-snake,’ is different from this word, and corresponds to E. snake, AS. snăcu, ‘snake,’ OIc. snákr, snókr, ‘snake’ (Swed. snok, ‘water-snake’).

Schnalle, f., ‘buckle, clasp,’ from MidHG. snalle, f., ‘buckle,’ shoe-buckle,’ allied to MidHG. snal, m., ‘quick movement’ (for the proper term for buckle see Rinken). Hence the word is probably named from the rapid movement of the spring. See the following word and schnell.

schnalzen, vb. ‘to smack, snap, crack,’ from MidHG. snalzen, intensive of snallen, ‘to move with a noise peculiar to the rapid movement of the fingers or the tongue’; allied to Schnalle.

schnappen, vb., ‘to snap, snatch,’ from MidHG. (MidG.) snappen, ‘to snap, chatter.’ The latter, like Du. snappen (E. to snap), is an intensive of MidHG. snaben, ‘to snap, snort’; allied to the root snab contained in Schnabel. — ModHG. schnappen (dial.), ‘to limp,’ MidHG. snappen, ‘to stumble,’ is etymologically distinct from this verb.

Schnapphahn, m., ‘highwayman,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. snaphan; yet it seems that the word signified orig. a sort of musket, although this meaning is first recorded at the end of the 17th cent., and hence is later than ‘mounted highwayman,’ which occurs even in the 15th cent.; the signification ‘musket’ was afterwards transferred to the man armed with such a weapon. Comp. Du. snaphaan, ‘gun, musket, bandit.’

Schnaps, m.,. ‘dram, glass of gin or brandy, liquor,’ from the equiv. LG. snapps, which means lit. ‘draught, mouthful,’ and is connected with schnappen.

schnarchen, vb., ‘to snore, snort,’ from the equiv. MidHG. snarchen, snarcheln; allied to MidHG. snarren, ‘to rattle, crash,’ like hor-chen to hören. Comp. Du. snorken, ‘to snore, chatter, boast’; also MidE. snun-ten, ‘to snore,’ with a different intensive suffix, E. to snort (comp. MidHG. snar-z, ‘twittering of the swallow,’ also an abusive epithet), and without a suffix MidE. snorin (AS. *snorian), E. to snore. From the root snar numerous terms have been formed in imitation of sound (see also schnarren and schnurren); comp. Du. snorren, ‘to hum, whiz, chirp,’ E. to snarl, and snurls, ‘nostrils,’ and in the non-Teut. languages perhaps Lith. snarglýs, ‘snot.’

schnarren, vb., ‘to rattle, drone,’ from MidHG. snarren, ‘to rattle, crash, chatter’; see the preceding word. — To this is allied Schnarre, ‘landrail,’ ModHG. only, in MidHG. snarz, ‘landrail.’

schnattern, vb., ‘cackle, gabble, chatter,’ from MidHG. snateren, ‘to cackle, croak (of frogs), clatter (of storks), chatter’; comp. Du. snater, ‘beak,’ snateren, ‘to chatter, boast.’ The stem is not found elsewhere.

schnauben, vb., ‘to snort,’ from MidHG. (MidG.) snûben, ‘to snore’; comp. Du. snuiven, ‘to snort.’ From the corre-