Kentel
Regular Member
A propos horses, here is the etymology for Danish "hest" (horse, same word in all the Scandinavian languages) according to the Gyldendals Etymologisk Ordbog. I have to stress the fact that this dictionary is fanatically pro-PIE and sees PIE roots everywhere. The guys know what meaning distorsion is the name for. But you can judge by yourselves :
hest : glda. hæst, no. hest, sv. häst, oldnord. hestr; af urnord. *hahistaR, germ. *hanhista- der er Verners vekselsform til germ. *hanqista-, se hingst. [...] Begge ord er superl. "best springende", dannet til ie *kak "springe, danse" ligesom fx lit. šókti "springe, danse", nasaleret šankìnti få (en hest) til at springe.
my translation:
hest : old Danish hæst, norwegian hest, swedish häst, old Norse hestr, from common Nordic *hahistaR, proto-Germanic *hanhista, which is the alternate proto-form of *hanqista (Verner's Law), see hingst. [...] Both words are actually a superlative "best jumping", built upon PIE *kak- "to jump", like f.ex the Lituanian šókti "to jump, to dance" and its nasalized form šankìnti "make (a horse) jump".
other jumping animals (my suggestions for forecoming etymologies):
rabbit
grasshopper
squirrel
salmon
frog
etc.
My contribution (I hope you'll like it): kangaroo, from PIE *kak- "to jump" (nasalized).
By the way, contrary to the kangaroo, the horse does not move by jumping, so let's face it : "hest" is not IE.
hest : glda. hæst, no. hest, sv. häst, oldnord. hestr; af urnord. *hahistaR, germ. *hanhista- der er Verners vekselsform til germ. *hanqista-, se hingst. [...] Begge ord er superl. "best springende", dannet til ie *kak "springe, danse" ligesom fx lit. šókti "springe, danse", nasaleret šankìnti få (en hest) til at springe.
my translation:
hest : old Danish hæst, norwegian hest, swedish häst, old Norse hestr, from common Nordic *hahistaR, proto-Germanic *hanhista, which is the alternate proto-form of *hanqista (Verner's Law), see hingst. [...] Both words are actually a superlative "best jumping", built upon PIE *kak- "to jump", like f.ex the Lituanian šókti "to jump, to dance" and its nasalized form šankìnti "make (a horse) jump".
other jumping animals (my suggestions for forecoming etymologies):
rabbit
grasshopper
squirrel
salmon
frog
etc.
My contribution (I hope you'll like it): kangaroo, from PIE *kak- "to jump" (nasalized).
By the way, contrary to the kangaroo, the horse does not move by jumping, so let's face it : "hest" is not IE.
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