Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/436

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an initial tw. Since damsons were orig. obtained from Damascus (the Crusaders are said to have introduced them into Europe; comp. E. damask plum, damascene, damson, Ital. amascino, Portug. ameixa), it seems probable that the Teut. cognates (Bav. zwèschen) are derived from MidLat. damascena or Gr. δαμάσκηνον through the intermediate forms dmaskîn, dwaskîn, which appear in Transylvanian maschen, mäschen. Yet the phonological relations of the numerous dialectic forms are so indistinct that a final solution of all the difficulties has not yet been found. From HG. are derived Du. kwets, Dan. svedske, Boh. švetska.

Zwick, m., ‘peg, sprig; pinch, nip, twinge,’ from MidHG. zwic, a variant of zwëc (see Zweck), ‘nail, nip, pinch,’ From G. is derived the equiv. Dan. svik. —

Zwickel, m., ‘wedge,’ from the equiv. MidHG. zwickel, m.; a derivative of the preceding word.

zwicken, vb., ‘to pinch, twitch, peg,’ from MidHG. zwicken, ‘to fasten with nails, squeeze in, pinch, tug,’ OHG. *zwicchên; comp. LG. twikken, AB. twiččian, MidE. twicchen, E. to twitch (see zwacken, Zweck).

zwie-, in compounds ‘two,’ from MidHG. and OHG. zwi-, LG. twi-, Du. twee-, OIc. tuî-, AS. twi-, Goth. *tvi-. It is the form of the numeral zwei as the first element of a compound; comp. in the non-Teut. languages δι- (from δϝι-), Lat. bi-, Sans. dvi-, used in a similar way.

Zwieback, m., ‘biscuit,’ ModHG. only; probably a rendering of Fr. biscuit (Ital. biscotto); comp. Dan. tvebak, Du. tweebak (also beschuit).

Zwiebel, f. (Swiss zidele, Bav. zwifel, Thuring. zippel), ‘onion, bulb,’ from the equiv. MidHG. zwibolle, zibolle (with the variants zwippel, zwifel, zibel, zebulle), m. OHG. zwibollo, zwivolle, m. A corruption of Lat. caepulla, ‘onion,’ whence also the Rom. words, Ital. cipolla, Fr. ciboule; Dan. swible has been adopted from Ger. The genuine G. word for Zwiebel is Bolle (properly ‘bulb, ball’), on which MidHG. zwibolle was based. The E. word bulb is derived from the Lat. bulbus (Gr. βολβόρ), ‘bulb, onion.’

zwiefach, adj., ‘twofold, double,’ from the equiv. MidHG. zwifach; for the meaning of the second component see Fach. —

zwiefältig, adj.,‘twofold,’ from the equiv. MidHG. zwivaltic (also in MidHG. and

OHG. zwivalt); comp. falt. —

Zwielicht, n., ‘twilight,’ ModHG. only, formed from LG. twelecht; the MidHG. expression is zwischenlicht; comp. E. twilight.

zwier, adv., ‘twice,’ earlier ModHG., from the equiv. MidHG. zwir, OHG. zwirôr, zwiro; comp. OIc. tysvar, tvis-var (-var corresponding to Sans. vâra, ‘time’). OHG. drirôr, ‘thrice,’ is similarly formed.

Zwiesel, f., ‘fork,’ from MidHG. zwisele, OHG. zwisila, f., ‘fork, forked branch’; a derivative, like Zweig and Zweifel, from the stem twi- (see zwie-).

Zwiespalt, m., ‘division, discord, schism,’ ModHG. only, from zwie- and Spalt; in MidHG. the form is zwispęltunge, f., ‘division, discord.’ —

zwiespältig, adj., ‘discordant, disunited,’ from the equiv. MidHG. zwispeltic, zwispaltic, OHG. zwispaltîg; allied to spalten. —

Zwiesprache, f., ‘dialogue, colloquy,’ ModHG. only; in OHG. zwisprëhho, m., with a different sense, ‘bifarius,’ and in AS. twisprœ̂ce, adj., ‘double-tongued, deceitful.’ —

Zwietracht, f., ‘dissension, discord,’ from MidHG. zwitraht, f., ‘disunion’; zwieträchtig, adj., ‘discordant, at variance,’ from MidHG. zweitrehtc, ‘disunited, discordant’; as a MidG. word it is allied to treffen (comp. Eintracht).

Zwitlich, Zwilch, m., ‘twilled cloth, tick,’ from the equiv. MidHG. zwilich, zwilch, OHG. zwilîh (hh), m.; properly an adj. used as a subst., from zwilich, ‘twofold, consisting of two threads’ (to this MidHG. zwilchen, ‘to weave with two threads,’ is allied). Formed on the model of Lat. bilix, ‘consisting of two threads’; comp. Drillich.

Zwilling, m., ‘twin,’ from the equiv. MidHG. zwinelinc, zwillinc (g), m. (also zwiselinc and zwilich-kint), and zwinelîn, n., OHG. zwiniling, m. A derivative of the OHG. adj., zwinal, ‘geminus, gemellus,’ and also, like zwinal, from zwi-, ‘twofold’; comp. the equiv. E. twin, Du. tweeling, Dan. tvilling.

zwingen, vb., ‘to force, compel, vanquish,’ from MidHG. twingen, dwingen, ‘to press, cramp, force, compel, dominate,’ OHG. dwingan, thwingan, ‘to crowd, suppress, conquer,’ corresponding to OSax. thwingan, OIc. þwinga, Dan. tvinge, Du. twingen, OFris. dwinga, twinga, MidE. twingen, ‘to force’ (E. twinge), see also Zwang. — Derivatives Zwing, Twink, m., ‘fortress,’ from MidHG. twine, m., ‘that which constrains, confines; jurisdiction.’ —