Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language.djvu/48

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AS. bite, E. bit, corresponds; Bißchen is a diminutive of it. ModHG. Bissen, from MidHG. biȥȥe, OHG. biȥȥo; OLG. biti, E. bite.

Beißker, m., ‘loach,’ adopted from Slav. (Bohem. piskoŕ, Russ. piskárĭ), and based by popular etymology on beißen (the fish is also called Steinbeißer, ‘river-loach,’ Schlammbeißer, ‘pond-loach’).

beizen, vb., ‘to cauterise, pickle, etch,’ from MidHG. beiȥen (beitzen), weak vb., ‘to macerate, make soft, hawk at birds’; OHG. beiȥen (beizzen), orig. sense ‘to cause to bite,’ is the factitive of OHG. bîȥȥan, see beißen. The corresponding E. to bait (a hook, a horse on a journey, and hence to put up, halt at a place, also to allure) is derived from the Scand. beita, which is identical with OHG. beizzan.

beklommen, see Klamm.

Belche (1.), f., ‘a kind of salmon’; of obscure origin. See Bolche.

Belche (2.), f., ‘coot,’ from MidHG. bęlche, OHG. bęlihha; Lat. fulica seems allied to it, although OHG. hh implies a Lat. g; the Germ. guttural suffix is the same as in Goth. ā̆haks, ‘pigeon.’ See also Habicht, Kranich.

belemmern, vb., ‘to cheat,’ a LG. word, from MidLG. and Du. belemmeren, ‘to hinder, molest,’ and allied to lahm?.

belfern, vb., ‘to snarl, nag,’ ModHG. only; an intensive form of the following word.

bellen, vb., from the equiv. MidHG. bëllen, OHG. bëllan, ‘to bark, bellow’; AS. bëllan, E. to bell (of a stag at the rutting period); the E. word indicates accordingly that the primary meaning was more general than simply ‘barking, bellowing.’ If an e root be assumed, OBulg. blěja, ‘bleat,’ and Lat. fleo, ‘I weep’ (b, f from bh and bhlê for bhel), may be compared. Others have explained the West Teut. root bell from belz, bels, bhels, which would result in its being cognate with Sans. bhaš, ‘to bark,’ bhâš, ‘to talk.’ Comp. Lith. bàlsas, ‘voice, tone’; see, too, the following word and Bulle.

Bellhammel, m., ‘bell-wether,’ ModHG. only; a LG. word (UpG. herma, equiv. to Herdmann, ‘herdsman’), corresponding exactly to Du. bel-hamel, E. bell-wether. Fr. clocheman, clocman (of Germ. origin), also Fr. mouton à la sonnette, make the connection of Bellhammel with Du. bel, MidDu. and AS. belle, E. bell, indubitable. In Fr. animal fables the bell-wether has the pro-

per name Belin (akin to Fr. belier, ‘ram’), from the Du. bel, ‘little bell,’ whence also Fr. bélière, ‘ring of a bell-clapper.’

Belt, m., ‘straits,’ akin to OIc. belte, AS. and E. belt, baldrick (OHG. balz), ‘girdle, shoulder-belt’?. Belt is thus a ‘zone of land’?. The cognate Lat. balteus is, according to Varro, a Tuscan word.

belzen, vb., ‘to graft,’ also pelzen; MidHG. belzen, OHG. belzôn with the same meaning; cognate with Provenç. empeltar, ‘to graft,’ which, with Fr. pelletier, ‘furrier’ (see Pelz), belongs to Lat. pellis.

Bemme, f., ‘slice of bread,’ first occurs in ModHG.; a LG. and MidG. word, a deriv. of the dial. bammen, ‘to eat,’ which may have been *bazmôn in Goth., and is perhaps primit. allied to the Sans. root bhas, ‘to chew.’

Bendel, m., from the equiv. MidHG. bendel, OHG. bentil; comp. MidE. bendel, OIc. bendell; akin to binden.

Bengel, m., ‘cudgel,’ then in a figurative sense ‘rude person, blackguard,’ from MidHG. bengel, m., ‘cudgel.’ Comp. E. bangle (club), from the verb to bang, OIc. banga, ‘to strike, beat,’ LG. bangen. The Teut. stem bang-, ‘to strike,’ seems to have been nasalised from the root bâg, mentioned under baren.

Benne, f., ‘wicker cart,’ MidHG. only; an old Alem. and perhaps orig. Kelt. word which Festus records as old Gallic benna. Comp. Fr. benne, ‘dosser,’ AS. binn, E. bin.

benschen, Jewish, ‘to pronounce the benediction, say grace,’ from Lat. benedicere.

bequem, adj., ‘convenient, comfortable,’ from MidHG. bequœ̂me, OHG. biquâmi, ‘suitable, fit.’ Akin to AS. gecwême, MidE. îcwême, cwême, ‘agreeable, suitable’; qêmi-, the base, is a verbal adj. from Goth. qiman, OHG. chuman, ‘to come,’ for which the meaning ‘to be fitting, to suit,’ already existing in Goth. gaqimiþ, ‘it is fitting,’ is presupposed; comp. AS. becuman, E. become. See kommen and Lat. convenire, ‘to fit in with, be becoming, suit,’ which is primit. allied.

berappen, vb., ‘to pay,’ ModHG. only. The comparison usually made with rupfen must be abandoned; it means ‘to give Rappen’ (a coin of small value having the impress of a raven). Comp. Rappen and blechen (to give Blech, i.e. money).

beraumen, see anberaumen.

bereit, adj., ‘ready, prepared,’ from