Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/292

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from Fr. peuple; povel, pövel, bovel are found in MidHG. from the 13th cent. (comp. E. people in its orig. sense).

pochen, vb., ‘to knock, beat,’ from MidHG. puchen, bochen; comp. MidLG. boken, Du. pogchen, ‘to boast,’ E. to poke. The ModHG. vb. is not borrowed from the LG.; comp. Alem. bochen. It is derived from a Teut. root puk, buk.

Pocke, f., ‘pock,’ properly a LG. word, unknown in this form to MidHG. and OHG.; comp. the equiv. Du. pok, for which we should have expected Pfoche in HG., and in fact the dials. preserve this form. Allied to AS. pocc, E. pock. The cognates seem to be based on a Teut. root puh, ‘to swell,’ which appears also in AS. pohha, poca, E. poke and pocket.

Pokal, m., ‘drinking cup,’ first occurs in ModHG. from Ital. boccale (Fr. bocal), ‘beaker, mug,’ which with its Rom. cognates is usually traced back to Gr. βαυκάλἰον, ‘vessel’; comp. Becher.

Pökel, m., ‘pickle, brine,’ ModHG. only, prop. a LG. word; comp. the equiv. Du. pekel, E. pickle (see also Pickelhering). Origin obscure; perhaps the cognates are connected with E. to pick.

Polei, m., ‘penny-royal,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. polei, pulei, n.; based on Lat. pûlêjum, ‘penny-royal’ (whence Ital. poleggio, Fr. pouliot).

Polster, m. and n. ‘cushion, bolster,’ from the equiv. MidHG. polster, bolster, OHG. bolstar. m.; corresp. to Du. bolster, AS. and E. bolster, and its equiv. OIc. bólstr. The cognates are connected with the OTeut. root belg, ‘to swell,’ to which Balg also belongs, hence the orig. sense is ‘swelling’ (Teut. bolstra-, from bolhstro-). With the corresponding Sans. root bṛh, ‘to be great.’ Sans. upabarhaṇa, ‘bolster,’ is connected; comp. also Pruss. pobalso, balsinis, ‘pillow,’ Serv. blazina (from *bolzina), ‘pillow.’

poltern, vb., ‘to make a row, rattle,’ from late MidHG. buldern (a variant of bollern?); allied to the equiv. Ic. baldrast; probably an imitation of sound akin to Russ. boltatĭ, ‘to vibrate,’ Lith. bildeti, ‘to rattle.’

pomadig, adj., ‘slowly,’ ModHG. only, borrowed from the equiv. Pol. pomalu.

Pomeranze, f., ‘orange,’ adopted in the 15th cent. from the equiv. MidLat. pomarancia, a compound of Ital. pomo, ‘apple,’ and arancia, ‘orange’; the latter word and Fr. orange are usually derived

from Arab. nâranǵ, Pers. nârenġ, and further from Sans. nâranga, ‘orange.’

Pomp, m., ‘pomp, splendour,’ first occurs in early ModHG., from Fr. pompe, f. (Lat.-Gr. pompa).

Popanz, m., ‘bugbear,’ ModHG. only, from Bohem. bobak, ‘frightful object.’

Port, m., ‘port, harbour,’ from the equiv. MidHG. porte, f., port, m. and n.; borrowed at a late period from Lat. and Rom. portus (Ital. porto, Fr. port), ‘port.’

Porzellan, n., ‘porcelain,’ ModHG. only. “This ware, at first obtained from China and Japan, was introduced into Europe by the Italians; porcellana in Ital. orig. denoted a sea-mussel, concha veneris; since this bore a great resemblance to porcelain, the name was easily transferred from the one to the other.”

Posaune, f., ‘trumpet, trombone’; a loan-word, as is indicated by the accent; it is met even during the MidHG. period as busûne, basûne, bosûne. On account of the remarkable variant busîne the word has been derived from OFr. buisine, which, like Ital. búccina, ‘trumpet,’ is based on Lat. bûcī̆na. Comp. further Du. bazuin, ‘trumpet.’

Posse, f., ‘drollery, fun, farce,’ first occurs in early ModHG.; corresponding to Du. poets, pots. OHG. gibôsi, ‘tricks, nugae’ (comp. böse), cannot be allied to it. In earlier ModHG. Posse also signified the decoration, the accessories in works of art; hence the word has been connected with Fr. ouvrage à bosse, ‘work in relief’ (comp. Ital. bozzo, ‘rough stone, stone blocks,’ bozzetto, ‘slight sketch’; also E. bosh?).

Post, f., ‘post, post-office,’ first occurs in early ModHG., formed from Ital. posta (Fr. poste), which is based on MidLat. posita, ‘standing-place’ (for horses?). Similarly ModHG. Posten, ‘post, station, item, entry,’ is derived from Ital. posto, ‘place, post,’ which again comes from MidLat. positus, ‘standing-place.’

Pott, m., ‘pot,’ a LG. word; comp. Du. pot, E. pot, and the equiv. Scand. pottr. From the Teut. cognates are derived those of Fr. pot and Span. pote. The Teut. word is said to be of Kelt. origin; comp. W. pot, Gael. poit. Topf is not akin. —

Pottasche, f., equiv. to E. potash; hence Fr. potasse, Ital. potassa.

Pracht, f., ‘state, pomp, magnificence,’ from MidHG. and OHG. praht, braht, m. and f., ‘noise, shouting.’ The evolution