Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/90

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animal’?. Comp. the diminutive forms MidLat. squiriolus, ModHG. Eichhörnchen, OSlov. vĕverica. On the other hand, some maintain that weorn in AS. âcweorna means ‘tail,’ while others connect it with Lat. viverra, derived from a North Europ. word (Lith. voverě, OSlov. veverica). At all events, since the Teut. cognates include OIc., AS., and OHG., we need not suppose the word was borrowed from a Southern Rom. term; Lat. sciûrus (Gr. σκίουρος), Fr. ecureuil, Span. esquilo (MidLat. squiriolus) — whence E. squirrel — are too remote in sound from the Teut. words. There is no reason for assuming that the Teut. word was borrowed from another source.

eichen, aichen, vb., ‘to gauge,’ from MidHG. îchen (ähten), ‘to survey, gauge, inspect’; akin to MidHG. îche, îch, f., ‘measure, official standard, office of weights and measures’; corresponds to Du. ijk, ‘gauge, stamp,’ ijken, ‘to gauge, stamp.’ In LG. and MidLG. ike, f., means ‘gauge mark, instrument for gauging,’ generally ‘a pointed instrument, lance,’ for which reason the cognates have been derived from a Teut. root îk, ‘to prick.’ Yet MidHG. ähten points to a connection with ahten. In UpG. pfechten (see Pegel) has a parallel form pfechen. The solution of the difficulty with regard to aichen has not yet been found. The spelling of the word with OBav. ai is also remarkable, since in Suab. and Bav. ei corresponds to the MidHG. î.

Eichhorn, see Eiche.

Eid, m., ‘oath, execration,’ from the equiv. MidHG. eit(d), OHG. eid, m.; a word common to Teut., but not found in the other groups; Goth. aiþs, OIc. eiðr, AS. âþ, E. oath, Du. eed, OSax. éth, m.; for the common Teut. aiþa-z, from pre-Teut. ói-to-s (comp. OIr. oeth, ‘oath’), no suitable cognate has yet been found. Ehe and its cognates are scarcely allied to it, though Eidam may be so.

Eidam, m., ‘son-in-law,’ from MidHG. eidem, m., ‘son-in-law,’ also ‘father-in-law’ (comp. Vetter, Schwager, Base, Neffe, with regard to the fluctuating meaning), OHG. eidum, ‘son-in-law’; corresponds to AS. âðum, OFris. âthum, ‘son-in-law.’ Goth. *aiþmus (?) is wanting, the word mêgs (see Mage) being used. This merely West Teut. term, the derivation of which appears to be similar to that of Oheim, is connected with MidHG. eide, OHG. eidî, Goth. aiþei, ‘mother.’ It is not impossible that it may

be allied to Eid also; comp. E. son-in-law. In Suab. and Alem. Eidam is unknown, the word used being Tochtermann.

Eide, f., ‘awn, beard,’ LG. See Ähre.

Eidechse, f., from the equiv. MidHG. ęgedëhse, OHG. ęgidëhsa, f., ‘lizard’; like Eichhorn, the word has been corrupted in various ways in the other languages of the West Teut. group, so that it is impossible to discover its primary meaning. Du. haagdis, hagedis, ‘lizard,’ is based on haag, ‘hedge,’ in MidDu. eggedisse; AS. âþëxe, whence E. ask, asker, ‘water-newt,’ is altogether obscure. The component OHG. -dëhsa, AS. -þëxe (to use Echsen, ‘lizards,’ in natural history as an equiv. term for Saurier, ‘Saurians,’ is a mistake due to a wrong derivation), may be connected with the Aryan root teks, ‘to make,’ which appears in Dachs; OHG. ęgi-dëhsa, lit. ‘one who inspires fear’?. Comp. OHG. ęgi, Goth. agis, ‘fear,’ primit. cognate with Gr. ἄχος, ‘pain, sadness.’

Eider, Eidergans, f., ‘eider-duck,’ simply ModHG. from LG. eider; the latter, like E. eider, eider-duck, is from Ic. œ̂þr (gen. œ̂þar), œþekolla, ‘eider-duck’ (Mod. Ic. œ is pronounced like ei). Eider-down was brought by the Hanse traders from Iceland to England and Germany, and from the latter imported into Sweden (Swed. ejder, ejderdun). To the OIc. œ̂þr, Sans. âtí-, ‘water-bird,’ may correspond; the latter, it is true, is mostly connected with Ente; comp. further Norw. ȧdder, Swed. (dial.) ȧda, ‘eider-duck’ (from OIc. *áþr, without mutation).

Eifer, m., ‘zeal, fervour, passion,’ from late MidHG. îfer, m. (îfern, n.), ‘zeal, jealousy.’ The word appeared at a remarkably late period (15th cent.), and its previous history is quite obscure; it found its way from UpG., in connection with Luther's translation of the Bible, into LG., Du., Dan. and Swed. Nothing can be adduced in favour of the assumption that the world was borrowed from UpG. eifern. An older Ger. adj., eifer, ‘sharp, bitter’ (as late as Logan), OHG. eivar, eibar, ‘sharp, bitter,’ AS. âfor, ‘sharp, bitter,’ might perhaps be cognate with ModHG. Eifer.

eigen, adj., ‘own, pertinent, peculiar, odd,’ from the equiv. ModHG. eigen, OHG. eigan; an adj. common to Teut.; comp. OSax. êgan, Du. eigen, AS. âgen, E. own, OIc. eiginn; Goth. used swês for *aigans. The old adj. eigen is, as the suffix n shows,