| E. quartz, Ital. quarzo, and Fr. quartz has not yet been explained.
Quaſt, m., ‘tuft, tassel,’ from MidHG. quast (queste, koste), m. and f., ‘cluster of leaves, bath-brush’ (OHG. questa, ‘apron of leaves’); comp. Du. kwast, ‘brush for sprinkling holy water, brush’ (Dan. kost, ‘besom,’ akin to OIc. kvistr, ‘branch’). queck, adj., ‘lively, quick,’ from MidHG. quëc (ck), OHG. quëc (cch), ‘living, fresh, gay’; for its early history see under the variant keck. — Quecksilber, n., ‘quicksilver,’ from the equiv. MidHG. quëcsilber, OHG. quëcsilbar; an imitation, like Du. kwikzilver, E. quicksilver (AS. cwicseolfor), of the common Rom. argentum vivum; comp. Ital. argento vivo, Fr. vif-argent. Quecke, f., ‘quick-grass,’ ModHG. only, from LG.; comp. Du. kweek, AS. cwiče, E. quitch-, couch-grass; these words seem to be connected with queck, ‘living,’ as a term for a luxuriant weed. “No plant has more vitality than this species of grass, which is propagated by its root, and therefore is very difficult to extirpate.” Quelle, f., ‘spring, source,’ first occurs in early ModHG. (naturalised by Luther); a late derivative of the ModHG. str. vb. quellen, MidHG. quëllen, OHG. quëllan. From the variant kal (by gradation qel), derived from OIc. kelda, ‘spring’ (whence Finn. kaltio), and Goth. *kaldiggs, which is implied by OSlov. kladęzĭ, ‘spring’; likewise AS. collen, ‘swollen.’ The prehistoric root gel (gol) is related to Sans. jala, ‘water,’ gal, ‘to curl.’ — quellen, ‘to soak, cause to swell,’ is a factitive of OHG. quëllan, ‘to swell.’ Quendel, m., ‘wild thyme,’ from the equiv. MidHG. quëndel, most frequently quënel (konel), OHG. quënala (chonala), f.; comp. Du. kwendel, AS. cunele. It is hardly probable that this is an early loan-word from Lat. conîla (Gr. κονίλη), ‘thyme,’ since the Rom. languages have not preserved the word. quengeln, vb., ‘to be peevish, grumble,’ |
ModHG. only, an intensive form of ModHG. twęngen, ‘to press’ (with East MidG. qu for tw); see zwängen.
Quentchen, n., ‘drachm, dram,’ from MidHG. quëntîn (quintîn), ‘fourth (orig. perhaps fifth?) part of a Lot (half-an-ounce)’; from MidLat. quintînus, which is wanting in Rom. quer, adv., ‘athwart, crosswise,’ from the equiv. MidHG. (MidG.) twër (hence twër, f., ‘diagonal’); for further references see Zwerch-. Quetsche, f., see Zwetsche. quetschen, vb., ‘to crash, squeeze,’ from the equiv. MidHG. quętzen (even yet dial. quetzen), quętschen; akin to MidLG. quattern, quettern (Du. kwetsen, borrowed from HG.?). quicken, vb., ‘to squeak, squeal,’ ModHG. only, a recent onomatopoetic word. Quirl, m., ‘whisk, twirling stick,’ from the equiv. MidHG. twirel, twirl!, OHG. dwiril, ‘stirring stick’; akin to MidHG. twërn, OHG. dwëran, ‘to turn, stir’; allied to the equiv. OIc. subst. þvara. With the Teut. root þwer (Aryan twer), are connected Gr. τορύνη, and Lat. trua, ‘stirring spoon.’ It is doubtful whether Quark is allied. quitt, adj., ‘quit, rid,’ from MidHG. quī̆t, ‘released, unencumbered, free’; borrowed about 1200 A.D. from the equiv. Fr. quitte, whence also Du. kwijt, E. quit (also E. quite); Fr. quitte and quitter, ‘to let go, forsake,’ are derived from Lat. quietare. Quitte, f., ‘quince,’ from the equiv. MidHG. quiten, f. (OHG. *quitina is wanting), with the remarkable variant küten, from OHG. chutina (Swiss χütene), ‘quince.’ This latter form alone renders it possible that Quitte was borrowed from the equiv. Rom. cotônea, which is probably represented by Ital. cotogna and Fr. coing (whence E. quince and Du. kwee). The connection between Lat. cotônea (parallel form cottanum) and Gr. κυδώνεα is obscure, and so is the relation of OHG. *quitina to chutina. if the word was borrowed, it was introduced contemporaneously with Pflaume. |
R.
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Rabe, m., ‘raven,’ from the equiv. MidHG. rabe (rappe), OHG. rabo (*rappo), m., also MidHG. raben, OHG. raban, hraban, and MidHG. ram (mm), OHG. ram, hram (with mm for mn), m., ‘raven’; all these |
forms point to Goth. *hrabns. Comp. OIc. hrafn, AS. hrœfn, m., E. raven, Du. raaf, rave (comp. Rappe). The proper names Wolf-ram, OHG. Hraban, and ModHG. Rapp preserve the old variants. Perhaps |
