[‘she’] never had a jenk (Un.); he is still a jenk, he is certainly not worth much, but still so much that one may put up with him as a sweetheart (lit., is still a possession): Un.; if it was a little wort’ sweetheart, hit [‘it’] was still a jenk (Fe.); sicc a ane [‘such a one’] didno [‘-not’] wort’ ha’e a jenk (so-and-so had no one whom he or she might call sweetheart): Fe. 2) dedication; transfer: a) transfer of something of slight importance; to gi’e a body (person) a jenk o’ onyting, to transfer something (a little thing, a trifle) to one: Un.; b) more comm.: dedication or transfer to someone (mostly a little child), not as a real property, but so as to give it the name of possession, esp. to call a young domestic animal its own; to gi’e ane (a bairn) de enk (jenk) o’ a lamb, o’ a chicken; to get de enk (jenk) o’ a lamb or chicken; I ga’e him (her) de enk o’ it. N.Sh. Meaning 2 b is the most common, and in this sense, the word is noted down both with and without prefixed j; meaning 1 is reported only with prefixed j (N.I.); cf. jenk, sb. — The diff. main forms are distributed thus: a) enk (ink): Fe. (meaning 2 b), Nm., De. (Den.); b) jenk (jink): U., Y. and (in meaning 1) Fe. — The diff. forms of the pronunc. of enk are distributed thus: Fe. [ə‘ŋk]; Nmn. (N.Roe) [e‘ŋk, ə‘ŋk]; Esh., Nmw. [ʌ‘ŋk]; Den. [ə‘ŋk]; the diff. forms of pronunc. of jenk: Un. [jʌ‘ŋk]; Uwg. [je‘ŋk (jɩ‘ŋk), jə‘ŋk]; Yn. [je‘ŋk (jɩ‘ŋk)]; Fe. [jə‘ŋk, jꜵ̈‘ŋk]. — enk, jenk prob. through *eng, *jeng from *egn, *jegn by change of g and n, and the consequent hardening of g to k (cf. “honk” and “lunk2”, vb.). — In old Shetl. deeds (in L.Sc. dial., partly mixed with Norn) the word is found written eing, aing (ayng), more rarely eyne, in sense of possession, esp. in the expr. “eing |
and owthell”: O.N. eign ok óðal (Deeds rel. to Orkn. and Zetl. 1433—1581; see also G.Q., Ant. p. 139 ff.). A form ayning is found in Balfour. — O.N. eign, f., possession. enk (ink) [e‘ŋk (ɩ‘nk), ə‘ŋk, ʌ‘ŋk] and jenk (jink) [je‘ŋk (jɩ‘ŋk), (jə‘ŋk), jʌ‘ŋk], vb., 1) to dedicate or transfer something to one (only nominally), to allow a child to call something, esp. a young domestic animal, its property without real ownership; a) with prep. “till”: to enk (ink) a chicken till so-and-so (Esh., Nmw.); I enked de lamb till her (Fe.); I jenked (jinked) de lamb till [‘to’] Jamie (Yn.); b) with addition “upon ane’s name”: to enk a [‘an’] animal upon a body’s (some bairn’s) name (Den.); we sould [‘should’] jenk (jink) it (de lamb) upo dy name (Wests.). 2) of children: to be allowed to call something, esp. a young domestic animal, one’s own, and let it go by one’s name; I’m [I have’] enket a chicken (N.Roe). — enk: Fe. [ə‘ŋk]; Nmn. (N.Roe) [e‘ŋk, ə‘ŋk]; Esh., Nmw. [ʌ‘ŋk]; Den. [ə‘ŋk]; jenk: U. [jʌ‘ŋk: Un.]; Y. [je‘ŋk (jɩ‘ŋk): Yn.]; Wests. [je‘ŋk]. enk, jenk prob. through *eng, *jeng from *egn, *jegn; see under enk, sb. — O.N. eigna, vb. to transfer something to someone; eignask (eigna sér), to appropriate, to get possession of. Cf. jenk, vb. ennapi [eᶇ··api·, æᶇ··api·], ennepi [eᶇ··əpi·], ennepig [ɛn··əpi̇̄g· (ɛn··i-), æn··əpi̇̄g·], sb., a tiny, fragile creature, used e.g. of lambs, chickens; often, however, also of people; more rarely of inanimate things, small objects. Other forms are: annapi [äᶇ··api·], jennapi [jɛn··api·] onnapi [oᶇ··api·] and äinapiti [äi·napit·i]. Sometimes with -bi for -pi: ennabi, ennebi [eᶇ··abi·, eᶇ··ə-] (U. occas.), or with dropped -i: annep [äinəp, äᶇəp]: De. [äinəp] and Wd. [äᶇəp]. — ennapi, ennepi: N.Sh. |
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