Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/355

---

silly). Cognate terms in the non-Teut. languages are wanting.

Semmel, m., ‘roll,’ from MidHG. sëmel, sëmele (also simel), OHG. sëmala, simila, f., ‘fine wheat flour or bread, roll’; a word peculiar to HG., allied to OHG. sëmon, ‘to eat.’ Lat. simila, ‘wheat flour,’ whence also Ital. semola, Fr. semoule, ‘bran from fine wheat flour,’ has been influenced by the HG. word.

ſemperfrei, adj., ‘free-born, entitled to act as assessor of the synod,’ from MidHG. sëmpervrÎ, ‘subject only to the emperor and empire, authorised to hold a synod or to take part in it.’ Allied to MidHG. sënt, m., ‘senatus, diet, imperial diet,’ also ‘ecclesiastical assembly,’ like OHG. sënot (Lat. synodus); MidHG. sëmpœre, sëntbœre, prop., ‘authorised to take part in a synod.’

ſenden, vb., ‘to send, dispatch,’ from the equiv. MidHG. sęnden, OHG. sęnten; a common Teut. vb.; comp. Goth. sandjan, AS. sęndan, E. to send, Du. zenden, OSax. sęndian, OIc. senda, ‘to send.’ Factitive of a lost OTeut. *sinþan, ‘to go, travel’; thus ſenden is lit. ‘to cause to go.’ Comp. Gesinde and sinnen.

Senesbaum, m., ‘senna (tree),’ ModHG. only, formed from the equiv. Fr. séné (E. senna), Ital. sena. The ultimate source is Arab. sana.

Seneſchall, m., ‘seneschal, high steward,’ from the equiv. MidHG. seneschalt, sineschalt, m., which is derived from Rom.; comp. the cognates Fr. sénéchal, Ital. siniscalco (MidLat. siniscalcus), ‘high steward.’ The Rom. words are based on an OTeut. word (Goth. *sinaskalks, ‘head servant’); comp. Goth. sinista, ‘eldest,’ which is primit. allied to OIr. sen, Lat. senex, senior, Lith. sénas, Sans. sánas, ‘old.’ With regard to the second part of the compound comp. Schalk (and Marschall). The invariable t at the end of the MidHG. word is remarkable.

Senf, m., ‘mustard,’ from the equiv. MidHG. sënf, sënef, m., OHG. sënaf, m.; corresponding to Goth. sinap, AS. sënep, ‘mustard.’ The other dials. have, like Rom., the term Mostert. It cannot be determined through what medium Gr. and Lat. σίνᾶπι, sinâpi, ‘mustard,’ were introduced at so early a period that the Goth. and HG. terms correspond; but since they are not genuine Aryan words, it is possible the South Teutons and Græco-Itals. obtained them independently from the same source.

ſengen, vb., ‘to singe, scorch, from MidHG. sęngen, ‘to singe, burn,’ lit. ‘to cause to singe or crackle’; a factitive of MidHG. and ModHG. singen, with a peculiar development of meaning, which is shared by the E. to singe, from AS. *sęnğęan.

Senkel, m.,‘plumb-line,’ from MidHG. sęnkel, m., ‘plumb-line, lace,’ also ‘anchor, drag-net,’ OHG. sęnchil, ‘anchor, drag-net.’ Allied to senken, MidHG. sęnken, OHG. sęnchen, ‘to lower’ (factitive of sinken; comp. OSax. sęnkian, Goth. sagqjan, ‘to lower, let down’).

Senne, m., ‘cowherd,’ ModHG. only, MidHG. *senne is not recorded, but in late MidHG. (rarely), sęnnœ̂re, ‘herdsman, cowherd.’ The antiquity of the ModHG. term is attested, however, by OHG. sęnno, m., ‘herdsman,’ as well as by late MidHG. sęnne, ‘pasture on the Alps.’ On account of the restriction of the cognates to UpG. the origin of the word is not quite certain; it is usually connected with Sahne (Goth. *sana, ‘cream,’ *sanja, ‘cowherd’).

Senſe, f., ‘scythe,’ from MidHG. sē̆́nse, sëgense, OHG. sëgansa, f., ‘sickle, scythe’ (for the suffix see Ahle); corresponding to OSax. *sëgasna (sëgisna), Du. zeissen, ‘scythe.’ From a Teut. root seg, ‘to cut’ (see Säge), whence OIc. sigðr, AS. sigðe, sîþe, f., E. scythe, LG. sicht; primit. allied to Lat. secare and securis, Aryan root sek, ‘to cut.’

Sente, f., ‘herd,’ ModHG. only; allied to Senne.

Seſſel, m., ‘settle,’ from the equiv. MidHG. sëȥȥel, OHG. sëȥȥal, m.; corresponding to AS. setl, E. settle, Goth. sitls, m., ‘seat, stool.’ A derivative of the Teut. root set, ‘to sit,’ like Lat. sella, for *sedla from sêdeo; comp. also Gr. ἔδρα, from ἔζομαι, OSlov. sedlo, ‘saddle,’ from sĕsti, ‘to sit down’; comp. siedeln.

Sester, m., ‘bushel,’ of the same origin as Sechter.

seßhaft, adj., ‘settled, stationary, residing, from MidHG. sëȥhaft, ‘settled, residing,’ allied to MidHG. and OHG. sëȥ, ‘seat, residence’; akin to sitzen.

setzen, vb., ‘to set, put, place,’ from MidHG. sętzen, OHG. sęzzen, ‘to set, cause to sit’; an OTeut. factitive of sitzen. Comp. Goth. saljan (whence Ital. sagire, Fr. saisir), AS. sęttan, E. to set, Du. zetten, OSax. sęttian, OIc. setja, ‘to set.’

Seuche, f., ‘epidemic, plague,’ from