# An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/P (full text)

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P.
Paar, n., from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. pā̆r, ‘pair, two of the same sort’; formed from Lat. par, ‘pair,’ whence also ModFr. paire, and from this comes E. pair.
Pacht, f., ‘compact, lease, tenure,’ from MidHG. (MidG.) paht, with the strictly permutated and more usual forms phaht, phahte (MidHG.), f. and m., ‘rent, lease, justice, law’; so too Du. pacht. The ModHG. form is due to LG. influence, as is indicated by the initial sound compared with MidHG. phahte. It is based on MidLat. pactum, pactus, ‘compact, a sum stipulated by the compact.’ OHG. *pfahta is not recorded, probably only by chance, though OHG. (also MidHG.) pfât occurs a few times.
Pack, m. and n., ‘pack, bundle,’ to which late MidHG. backen, packen, ‘to pack up, load,’ is allied; it is connected with a ModTeut. and Rom. class. the source of which has not yet been discovered; comp. Du. pak, Scand. pakke, MidE. packe, E. pack; Ital. pacco, Fr. paquet, &c.; also Ir. and Gael. pac, Bret. pak, which some regarded as the origin of the cognates, though others refer them, with greater probability, to OIc. bagge, ‘burden.’ —
Pack, n., ‘rabble,’ is LG., and is historically identical with Pack, ‘bundle.’
paff, interj., ‘puff! bang!’ ModHG. only, agreeing with LG. and Du. paf, ‘puff!’; scarcely allied to late MidHG. baffen, ‘to bark’; it is rather a recent onomatopoetic form.
pah! interj., ‘pooh!’ ModHG. only, of a similar origin to paff.
Palast, m., ‘palace,’ from MidHG. palast (comp. Axt, Obst, Papst), more usual palas, n. and m. (with a varying accent), ‘large building with one main room, used for the reception of guests, for festivities, and espec. for meals,’ and then ‘palace.’ It was adopted in late OHG. (the end of the 11th cent.) from Fr. palais, MidLat. palatium. See Pfalz.
Pallasch, m., ‘sword, falchion,’ ModHG. only, from Russ. palásch, Pol. palasz.
Pallisade, f., ‘palisade,’ ModHG. only, from Fr. pallisade, which comes from Ital. palizzata.
Palme, f., from the equiv. MidHG. palme, balme, f. and m., OHG. palma, f., ‘palm-tree, palm.’ Borrowed in OHG. from Lat. palma through an ecclesiastical medium. Very many names of plants and trees had been previously introduced from the South of Europe.
Pamphlet, n., ModHG. only, from Fr. pamphlet, which was again derived from the equiv. E. pamphlet. The E. word is not a native term, though its origin is not yet determined.
Panier, n., from the equiv. MidHG. panier, usually banier, f. and n., ‘banner, standard.’ From Fr. bannière, hence of the same origin as ModHG. Banner.
Panther, m., from the equiv. MidHG. panter, pantel, n., ‘panther,’ late OHG. panthera, f., formed from Lat. panther, panthera.
Pantoffel, m., ‘slipper,’ first occurs in early ModHG., from Ital. pantofola (Fr. pantoufle), the origin of which has not yet been explained.
Panzer, m., from the equiv. MidHG. panzer, panzier, m., ‘coat of mail,’ from Ital. panciera, MidLat. pancerea, ‘coat of mail,’ which is connected with Ital. pancia, ‘belly, body’ (Fr. panse, whence also MidHG. and ModHG. dial. Panse, ‘belly’), and signifies lit. ‘the part of the armour covering the abdomen.’ ​ Papagei, w., from the equiv. MidHG. papagey, most frequently papegân, m., ‘parrot’; corresponding to Du. papagaai, E. popinjay (MidE. pǫ̂pejai); borrowed from the equiv. Rom. cognates, espec. from OFr. papegai (Ital. pappagallo). The origin of these words is not yet determined; they are most probably derived from Arab. babaghâ.
Papier, n., ‘paper,’ from late MidHG. papier, n., which: is derived from Lat. and Gr. papyrum, whence also the Rom. cognate, Fr. papier (E. paper).
Pappe, f., ‘pap, paste,’ from MidG. and LG.; comp. Du. and E. pap; MidHG. (MidG.) pap, peppe, ‘pap.’ It is usually derived from Ital. and MidLat. pappa, ‘pap,’ allied to Lat. pappare, ‘to eat.’
Pappel (1.), f., from the equiv. MidHG. papel, papele, f., OHG. (MidLat.) papula, 1, ‘mallow.’ Of obscure origin; probably cognate orig. with Pappel (2).
Pappel (2.), f., from the equiv. MidHG. papel, popel, f., ‘poplar,’ Lat. pôpulus (Fr. peuplier), with the MidLat. variant papulus; from the Fr. form (OFr. poplier) are derived the equiv. Du. populier and E. poplar (MidE. popler). In the Rom. class. Lat. populus was changed in many curious ways in most of the dials.; comp. Ital. pioppo (from *ploppus for populus). Since the HG. form is closely connected with the Lat., it must have been introduced by scholars, probably in the MidHG. period.
pappeln, vb., ‘to babble, prate,’ ModHG. only, an onomatopoetic term (comp. Fr. babiller), but linked perhaps to the equiv. LG. babbeln, Du. babbelen (MidE. babelen, E. to babble), whence the ModHG. form may be derived by permutation.
Papst, Pabst, m., ‘pope,’ from MidHG. bâbes, and with an excrescent t (see Obst and Palast), bâbest; OHG. bâbes first occurs about 1000 A.D. (in Notker); from the equiv. Lat. pâpa. The initial and medial b in OHG. and MidHG. in contrast to Lat. p may be compared with bëch, balme, bapel, and their variants pëch, palme, papel, in MidHG. The s of the OHG. form bâbes (earlier *bâbas?) is both strange and difficult to explain; comp. OSlov. papežĭ, borrowed from it. This Latin Church word, which passed into G. at a late period, cannot be connected with ModGr. πάππας (comp. Pfaffe); most of the corresponding Rom. words have, however, no s (Ital. papa, Fr. pape). Yet OFr. has sometimes pape-s instead of pape, with an inorganic s in the nom. (comp. Pfau), for in OFr. numerous mascs. in a could take an s in the nom. (poetes from poeta, prophetes from propheta, hermites from eremita, homicides from homicida, &c.). In MidEuropean Ger. this form in s afterwards constituted the stem; besides OHG. bâbes comp. also Du. paus (from OLG. and ODu. pavos, recorded even in the 9th cent.). The LG. form seems to have passed in the 10th cent. to the south of Germany. OIc. páfe was probably formed under the influence of AS. pâpa (Lat. pâpa), E. pope. Moreover, MidLat. pâpa was a respectful term used in addressing bishops, and since Leo the Great a title of the Roman pope, and also since Hierocles the title of the patriarch of Alexandria. Gregory VII. decreed in 1075 the exclusive right of the Roman pontifex to the title papa. The fact that AS. has preserved the Lat. word in a purer form is explained by its having been borrowed at an earlier period.
Paradies, n., ‘paradise,’ from MidHG. paradîse, paradîs, pardîs (its accent fluctuates), n., OHG. paradîsi, paradîs, n. (MidHG. î explains the earlier ModHG. Paradeis). It corresponds to OSax. paradîs, Du. paradijs, MidE. paradise; the cognates are derived from the biblical and ecclesiastical paradîsus, παράδεισος (prop. ‘pleasure-ground, park’), which again is of Pers. origin. Comp. Zend pairidaeza, ‘rampart, enclosure.’
Pardel, Parder, m., from the equiv. MidHG. parde, OHG. pardo, m., ‘panther, leopard’; borrowed from Lat. pardus; MidHG. variant part (pardes), m.; the l or rather r of the ModHG. form is due to Gr. and Lat. pardalis.
Park, m., ‘park,’ early ModHG., borrowed from Fr. parc. See Pferch.
Partei, f., ‘party, faction, league,’ from MidHG. partîe, f., ‘party, division,’ borrowed from Fr. partie (Lat. and Ital. partita, E. party), whence also ModHG. Partie.
Pasch, m., ‘doublet, pair royal (at dice)’, first occurs in early ModHG.; from Fr. passe-dix, above ten (at dice).
paschen, vb., ‘to smuggle,’ ModHG. only, probably from Fr. passer, Ital. passare, ‘to go beyond,’ with ‘frontier’ understood.
Paspel, m., ModHG. only, from the equiv. Fr. passe-poil, ‘piping’ (for clothes).
passen (1.), vb., ‘to forego one's turn in playing,’ ModHG. only, formed from Fr. ​passer, ‘to omit, pass.’ Numerous words relating to play are derived from the Fr.; comp. Pasch and Daus. — The meaning ‘to lie in wait, watch,’ comes, however, from Du. passen.
passen (2.), vb., ‘to pass muster, suit, be convenient,’ ModHG. only, corresponding to Du. passen, which is found even in the 13th cent.; from Fr. passer. Deriv. päßlich, ‘tolerable.’
passieren, vb., ‘to befall, happen, occur to,’ from Fr. se passer.
Pastete, f., ‘pie, pastry,’ from MidHG. pastête, pastêde, f., from MidLat. pastâta, whence Fr. pâtée, ‘paste’ (for poultry), pâté, ‘pie’ (allied to pâte, Ital. pasta, ‘dough’). Akin also to Du. pastie, E. pasty (comp. paste).
Paß, m., ‘pass, mountain road, passport,’ ModHG. only, from Du. pas, ‘step, passage, pass.’
Pate, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pate (bate), m., ‘godfather, godmother,’ from Lat. pater, the declension being changed to the wk. masc.; Lat. pater spiritualis, ‘sponsor,’ mostly MidLat. patrînus, whence Ital. patrino, Fr. parrain (Du. peet, petekind). MidHG. also pfętter, ‘sponsor’ and ‘child to be baptised,’ from patrînus, whence ModHG. dial. Pfetter, Petter. The initial pf may be due to its having been borrowed at an early period (similarly Du. meter, ‘godmother,’ is borrowed from Lat. matrîna). In Suab. dête, m., and dôte, f., are chiefly used for Pate (dêtle, ‘godchild’), in Bav. Tott, m. and f. With regard to UpG. Gotte, Götti, see under Gote.
Pauke, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pûke (bûke), f., ‘kettledrum'; a difficult word to explain. The Suab. variant baoke seems to be formed by gradation from MidHG. pûke. Perhaps the primit. word is bûggn, bauggn, an old onomatopoetic form.
Pausback, m., ‘person with puffed cheeks,’ allied to MidHG. pfûsen (pfnûsen), ‘to snort,’ with MidG. and LG. initial p.
pauschen, bausen, vb., ‘to puff up, blow up,’ ModHG. only, formed from Fr. poncer, ‘to pounce,’ and ébaucher, ‘to sketch’ (hence the dial. form durchponsen).
Pause, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pûse, f., ‘pause, rest’; borrowed in MidHG. from Fr. pause (Lat. and Ital. pausa), whence also Du. poos and E. pause. The Lat.-Rom. word passed through a G. medium to the North. Comp. Dan. pause, Swed. paus.
Pavian, m., ‘baboon,’ ModHG. only, formed from Du. baviaan (HG. p for Du. b, as in pappeln); the latter, like E. baboon, is derived from Fr. babouin, ‘baboon’ (Ital. babbuino, MidLat. babuinus). The derivation of these cognates from MidLat. papio, ‘wild dog,’ is not satisfactory; their origin must be sought for somewhere in the South. Late in the 13th cent. the term passed into Rom. and then into E.; in Germany the animal seems to have been shown for the first time at the Imperial Diet at Augsburg in the year 1552 A.D.
Pech, n., from the equiv. MidHG. pëch, bëch (comp. Papst), OHG. pëh, bëh, n., ‘pitch’; MidHG. pfich (very rare), from OHG. *pfih, unless it is a phonetic transcription of the Lat. or LG. word. It corresponds to OSax. pik, n., Du. pik, pek, AS. pič, n., E. pitch; OIc. bik. The Teut. cognates are based on a Lat.-Rom. word; Lat. picem, acc. of pix (with regard to the oblique case as the base comp. Kreuz). Compared with Kreuz from crŭcem, the preservation of the guttural as k and of the vowel quantity in the stem is an important element in the history of the word. Lat. pĭcem was naturalized at a much earlier period in G. than crŭcem, probably in the 7th cent. Comp. further Ital. pece, Fr. poix, ‘pitch,’ from Lat. picem (nom. pix).
Pedant, m., ‘pedant,’ ModHG. only, from Fr. pédant, Ital. pedante, of which the orig. meaning was ‘instructor’ (the ultimate source is Gr. παιδεύειν). “How the word obtained its modern sense is easily seen.”
Pedell, m., ‘beadle, messenger of a court or council,’ first occurs in early ModHG.; from MidLat. bidellus, pedellus; bedelli universitatum is recorded in 1350. As the usher of a court of justice the word bedellus appears as early as the 13th cent., and, like its Rom. cognates (Ital. bidello, Fr. bedeau, ‘beadle’), is derived from OHG. bital, pital (MidHG. bitel), a derivative of OHG. bitten, ‘to invite, cite.’ See Büttel.
Pegel, m., ‘water-mark,’ ModHG. only, from the similar LG. form; comp. Du. pegel, ‘gauge-mark, standard,’ and peil, ‘gauge-mark, scale on which the height of the water is marked.’ These words are derived, like AS. pœgel, E. pail, from a Teut. root pag, which also appears in Alem. pfeχte, pfeχe, ‘to gauge.’
​ Pein, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pîne, pîn, OHG. pîna, f., ‘pain, punishment, torture’; adopted during the OHG. period on the introduction of Christianity from Lat. poena, which was pronounced pêna in MidLat. (comp. Ital. pena); MidLat. ê appears in HG. as î in other cases also (see Kreide and Feier), Comp. OSax. pîna, Du. pijn, AS. pîn, E. pine (a later variant of pain); also OIr. pían (gen. péne).
Peitsche, f., ‘whip, lash,’ early ModHG., from Bohem. bič (Pol. bicz).
Pekesche, f., ‘laced coat, hussar's jacket,’ from Pol. bekiesza.
Pelikan, m., ‘pelican,’ from MidHG. pellicân, m., formed from Lat. pelicanus.
Pelle, f. (LG.), equiv. to Du. pel, E. peel.
Pelz, m., from the equiv. MidHG. bellîȥ, belz, pelz, m., ‘fur,’ borrowed in the 10th cent. (OHG. pellĭȥ) from the equiv. MidLat.-Rom. pellicia, ‘fur’; comp. Ital. pelliccia, Fr. pelisse. It corresponds to AS. pylce, E. pelt.
Pennal, n. ‘pen-case,’ ModHG. only, formed from MidLat. pennale; with this comp. Pennal meaning, ‘grammar-school, high-school, pupil.’ To the students at the university the school might seem as a huge array of pen-cases, and “in jest the freshman too was called a ‘pen-case,’ probably because he attended lectures regularly, and so carried his pen-case with him.”
Perle, f., ‘pearl,’ from the equiv. MidHG. përle, bërle, OHG. bërla, përala, f.; a foreign word, as the fluctuating initial sound indicates. It corresponds to the Rom. cognates, Ital. perla, Fr. perle, whence also E. pearl; derived probably from Lat. *pirula, ‘little pear.’ In Goth., marikreitus, a corrupt form of Lat. margarita, was used, corresponding to AS. mere-greót, OHG. męri-grioȥ, MidHG. męregrieȥ. —
Perlmutter, f., ‘mother of pearl, late MidHG., formed like Fr. mère-perle (Ital. madre-perla); so too E. mother of pearl. Perlmutter is lit. ‘producer of pearls inside the mussel.’
Pest, f., ‘pest, plague,’ ModHG. only, from Lat. pestis. —
Pestilenz, f. ‘pestilence,’ even in MidHG. pestilenzie, pestilenz, f., from Lat. pestilentia.
Petersilie, f., ‘parsley,’ from MidHG. pêtersil, m., pêtersilje, m., OHG. pêtarsile; borrowed from MidLat. petrosilium (Gr. πετροσέλινον), ‘parsley.’ In the UpG. dials. a shortened form is found, Peterli, Peterle (Peterling).
Petschaft, n., ‘signet, seal,’ from MidHG. petschat, petschaft, n.; borrowed from the equiv. Bohem. pečet (OSlov. pečati); the f of the MidHG. and ModHG. words was introduced by associating them with Schaft.
Petze, f., ‘bitch, she-bear’; early ModHG.; its relation to the equiv. E. bitch (from AS. bičče) and Fr. biche is uncertain.
Pfad, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pfat (gen. pfades), OHG. pfad, m., ‘path, track’; OSax. *path is wanting; Du. pad, AS. pœþ, m., E. path. The word is unknown to East Teut., and thus the difficulty of determining its origin is greatly enhanced. The prevalent opinion, which is based on the supposition, probably correct in the main, that the words beginning with HG. pf and LG. p are borrowed, is satisfied with the phonetic similarity to Gr. πάτος, ‘path, road,’ to prove the fact that Pfad is borrowed from the latter. With regard to this point we have to take into account the þ of the E. word, which is assumed by HG., and which proves the existence of Pfad in G. before the beginning of our era. But Teut. has no such early loanwords of Gr. origin (see Hanf). As we have no data, we cannot decide whether the word was introduced through a foreign medium; it is possible the word was borrowed indirectly from Gr., but the assumption that it was adopted directly from Scyth. is equally valid; comp. Zend paþ (also paþan, panþan), ‘way.’ In the latter case it must have passed into G. after the primit. Teut. permutation; Hanf was borrowed before this period. Its primit. kinship with Gr. πάτος, ‘way’ (Sans. panthan, path, Zend paþan), must be decidedly rejected because Teut. f would correspond to p in the non-Teut. languages. Comp. Humpen.
Pfaffe, m., ‘priest, parson,’ from MidHG. pfaffe, OHG. pfaffo, m., ‘priest’; corresponding to LG. and Du. pape, ‘priest’; the common prim. form is păpo. The MidLat. term is clericus. The usual assumption that the word is derived from Lat. pâpa, which was in the Western Church a respectful term applied to bishops and a title of the Pope, does not account for the fact that the term means ‘priest’ in all the Teut. dialects of MidEur., and therefore must be decidedly rejected. In the Greek Church a distinction was made ​between πάπας, ‘pope,’ and παπᾶς, ‘clericus minor’; with the latter sense the G. cognates are connected. It would also be remarkable if the p of a Latin word introduced into G. at the period of the Roman conversion had undergone permutation (comp. Priester, predigen, and Propst). The Gr. word (possibly in the vocat. form παπᾶ?) may have been widely diffused throughout Germany even in the 6th cent.; it was introduced perhaps at a somewhat later period than Kirche, as might be inferred from the absence of the word păpa, ‘priest,’ in AS. and E. Here too we have a trace of the influence of the Greek Church on the Teutons; yet we cannot determine which tribe adopted Gr. παπᾶς as păpa in its vocabulary and passed on the term (the meaning of Goth. papa in the Milan Calendar is obscure). It found its way even into OIc., in which pape, however, was strangely enough used by the Irish anchorites found in Iceland by the Northmen when they colonised the island. With regard to Lat. pâpa see Papst.
Pfahl, m,. from the equiv. MidHG. pfâl, OHG. pfâl, m., ‘pale, stake’; allied to the equiv. Du. paal, AS. pâl, E. pole, pale. The cognates were undoubtedly borrowed from Lat. pâlus (whence also Fr. pal) contemporaneously with the cognates of Pfosten, and probably also with the technical terms relating to building in stone (Ziegel, Schindel, Wall, Mauer, and Pforte); all these words have undergone permutation in HG.; see also the following word.
Pfalz, f., ‘palace, high official residence, palatinate,’ from MidHG. pfalz, pfalze, phalenze, f., ‘residence of a spiritual or temporal prince, palatinate, town-hall,’ OHG. pfalanza, pfalinza, f.; corresponding to OSax. palinza, palencea (used in the Heliand of the palace of Pilate). The current view is content with the assumption that the word is based on Lat. pălâtium, yet the relation of the one to the other is more difficult to determine than is generally imagined. As the permutation of LG. p to HG. pf indicates, the word must have been naturalised in G. as early as the beginning of the 8th cent.; in the age of Charlemagne it already existed in G. Besides, the nasal of the OSax. and OHG. derivative, which was retained down to MidHG. even, cannot be explained by the form of Lat. palatium, nor can we discover why it was inserted. OHG. pfalanza and OSax. palinza clearly point to MidLat. palantium, ‘murus, fastigium,’ palenca, palencum, palitium, ‘contextus ac series palorum’; we are thus led to ‘the fortress,’ or, more accurately, ‘the district enclosed by pales,’ as the orig. sense of the word Pfalz. When, at a later period, under the Carlovingians, palatia were built in Germany, the word, which had been adopted long previously from the Lat., acquired the meaning of the similarly sounding palatium. In later MidLat. appears also palantia for palatinatus, ‘the district of a count palatine.’
Pfand, n., from the equiv. MidHG. pfant (gen. -des), OHG. pfant (gen. -tes), n.) ‘pawn, pledge, security’; it corresponds to MidLG. and Du. pand, and OFris. pand, which have the same meaning. It is usually derived from OFr. pan, ‘cloth, rag’ (from Lat. pannus); the West Teut. word is more closely connected, however, with OFr. paner, Prov. panar, Span. apandar, ‘to fleece a person,’ apañar, ‘to take away’; hence Pfand, ‘taking way,’ or ‘that which is seized’ (OFr. pan, ‘the thing seized,’ whence E. pawn)?.
Pfanne, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pfanne, OHG. pfanna, f., ‘pan’; widely diffused in Teut. with the same sense, Du. pan, AS. pǫnne, f., E. pan. The permutation of p to HG. pf indicates the early existence of the word in the form panna in G., perhaps about the 7th cent., or, on account of the coincidence of the E. with the MidEur. Ger. word, far earlier. The Lat. form of patina, ‘dish, pan,’ is scarcely adequate to serve as the immediate source of the Teut. words; comp. further Pfennig. From Teut. is derived the equiv. Slav. pany.
Pfarre, f., ‘parish, parsonage, living,’ from MidHG. pfarre, OHG. pfarra, ‘parish’; corresponding to LG. parre. The current assumption that Pfarre is derived from the MidLat. and Rom. parochia (Ital. parrochia), paroecia (Gr. παροικία, Fr. paroisse), and E. parish (borrowed from Fr.), is not quite satisfactory as far as the sound is concerned, since it assumes too great a modification of the word; note OIr. pairche from parochia. The later parra recorded in MidLat. is clearly an imitation of the G. word, and therefore the latter cannot be based on it. Perhaps the ecclesiastical division was connected with an OTeut. *parra, ‘district,’ ​which is similar in sound and is assumed by the derivative Pferch; the idea associated with Pfarre in historic times originated, of course, in parochia, παροικία. —
Pfarrer, m., ‘clergyman, minister,’ MidHG. pfarrœre, OHG. pfarrâri, a G. derivative of pfarra. Note that the word is not based on MidLat. parochus (Ital. parroco), ‘priest.’ There also exists a later variant, Pfarr, MidHG. pfarre, m.; hence the derivative Pfarrei (Suab. and Bav.).
Pfau, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pfâwe, OHG. pfâwo, m., ‘peacock’; the OHG. form, with its permutated initial sound and its preservation of the v as w (see Käfig, Pferd), points to a very early loan-word from Lat. pâvo (whence also Fr. paon, Ital. pavone). With regard to the form of the word, it may be remarked that while other loan-words from Lat. are based on the oblique case (see Kreuz), in this instance the G. word is classified under the n- declension, to which Lat. pâvo (acc. pâvôn-em) also belongs. The peacock (comp. mausern and Käfig) may have been known in Germany about the 7th or 6th cent., or even earlier. Comp. Du. paauw, AS. pâwa and peá, E. peacock, which were borrowed contemporaneously from the same source; OSlov. pavŭ is also allied.
Pfebe, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pfëben, OHG. *pfëban, *pfëbano, m., ‘pumpkin,’ formed from Lat. pepon (Gr. πέπων), ‘pumpkin.’ MidHG. pfëdem, ‘pumpkin,’ and OHG. pfëdemo, are peculiar; besides these, OHG. pëpano, bëbano, and MidHG. bëben also occur without permutation. Comp. bidmen.
Pfeffer, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pfëffer, OHG. pfëffar, m., ‘pepper’; borrowed, as the unvarying permutation indicates, prior to the OHG. period from Lat. piper (whence Fr. poivre, Ital. pepe), which assumption is supported by Du. peper, AS. pipor, E. pepper, Ic. piparr (note in the non-Teut. languages OSlov. pĭprŭ). The early adoption of the Lat. word in Teut. is confirmed by history. In 410 A.D. Alaric, before Rome, granted a truce, for which the city was obliged to supply, among other things, 3000 lbs. of pepper. —
Pfeffermünz, n., ‘peppermint,’ is connected with Minze, or rather its OHG. variant munza. See Minze.
Pfeife, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pfîfe, OHG. pfîfa, f., ‘pipe’; borrowed prior to the OHG. period from MidLat. pîpa (allied to Lat. pîpare, ‘to pip, chirp’); hence also Du. pijp, AS. pîpe, f., E. pipe, OIc. pípa; so too the Rom. cognates, Ital. piva, Fr. pipe. —
pfeifen, ‘to pipe,’ from MidHG. pfîfen, from Lat. pipare, from which we should have expected an OHG. wk. vb. *pfîfôn.
Pfeil, m., from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. pfîl, m., ‘arrow, dart’; corresponding to MidLG. pîl, Du. pijl, AS. pîl, E. pile, Scand. píla, ‘arrow.’ Borrowed at an early period from Lat. pîlum, n., ‘heavy javelin,’ with a change of gender and meaning. The OTeut. word for arrow, Goth. arhwazna, OIc. ǫr, AS. earh (etymologically the same as Lat. arcus, ‘bow’), disappeared on the introduction of the word.
Pfeiler, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pfîlœre, OHG. pfîlâri, m., ‘pillar’; borrowed prior to the OHG. period from MidLat. pîlâre, pîlarius (Lat. pîla), ‘pillar,’ whence also Du. pijlaar. Comp. Ital. piliere, Fr. pilier, E. pillar (to which E. and Fr. pile, formed from Lat. pîla, is allied).
Pfennig, m., ‘a coin, one-tenth of a penny,’ from MidHG. pfęnnic, pfęnninc (gen. -ges), OHG. pfęnning, m., ‘denarius, a silver coin, a twelfth of a shilling.’ Its form and origin are difficult to determine. It may be derived from Pfanne, and thus its name may be due to its shape (perhaps ‘pan-shaped’ or ‘made in the pan’). A variant with nd, from the connection of the word with Pfand, is seen in OHG. pfęnting and AS. pęnding (variants of the more usual pęnning, pęnnig, whence E. penny). With regard to the diffusion of the word, comp. further OSax. pending, Du. penning, OIc. penningr; in Goth. a presumptive form *panniggs or *pandiggs is wanting. The suffix -ing frequently occurs in names of coins in the earlier periods; comp. Schilling, Silberling, OHG. cheisuring, ‘imperial gold coin,’ E. farthing, from AS. feórþing, ‘quadrans.’ From the Teut. cognates are derived OSlov. pěnęgŭ, pěnędžĭ, ‘coin, money.’
Pferch, m., ‘fold, pen,’ from MidHG. pfęrrich, OHG. pfęrrih, pfarrih (hh), m., ‘fence, enclosure, espec. for sheep’; corresponding to AS. pearroc, m., ‘enclosure, park,’ Du. perk, ‘enclosed space.’ If the words with initial p in LG. and initial pf in HG. are of foreign origin, the term on which they are based must have been introduced, on account of the correspondence ​between the Continental Ger. and E. words, at a very early date (about the 4th cent.). “It appears even in the earliest MidLat.; parcus, parricus (Leg. Rip. and Leg. Angl.), parc (Leg. Bajuv.), in the latter instance as ‘granary,’” and also in early Rom.; comp. Fr. parc, ‘pen, park’ (see Park), Ital. parco. E. park is based partly on Rom. and partly on the AS. word. The source of all the cognates is incorrectly ascribed to Kelt.; comp. Gael. pâirc, W. parc, parwg.
Pferd, n., ‘horse,’ from MidHG. pfërt (-des), n., ‘horse,’ espec. ‘riding-horse, lady’s horse’ (in contrast to Roß, ‘war-horse’), with the earlier variants pfërit for *pfërirît, OHG. (from the 10th cent.) pferfrī̆t, pfarifrī̆d; corresponding to LG. pęrid, Du. paard. The word seems to be Franc. and Sax. (in the UpG. dials. the old terms Roß and Gaul are still the prevalent terms; it was probably borrowed (about the 8th cent.?) from the early MidLat. paraverêdus, parifredus (f for v as in Käfig; the change of v into f in this case, however, is common to Teut.). Parverêdus, ‘horse,’ lit. ‘near horse,’ is derived from Gr. παρά and MidLat. verêdus, ‘horse’ (allied to Kelt. rêda, ‘waggon’). In the Kelt. group, W. gorwydd, ‘steed,’ was retained. The Rom. languages retain the MidLat. word (in the MidLat. collateral form palafrêdus, palafrênus) in the sense of ‘palfrey’; comp. Fr. palefroi (E. palfrey), Lat. palafreno.
Pfetter, see Pate.
Pfifferling, m., ‘toadstool,’ from MidHG. pfifferling, pfëfferling, m., ‘curry mushroom.’
Pfingsten, plur., ‘Whitsuntide,’ from MidHG. pfingsten, which in form is really a dat. plur. (comp. Mitternacht), and was used at an early period for all cases; OHG. zi *pfingustin, ‘Whitsuntide,’ is by chance not recorded (Notker uses a pedantic semi-version, zi finfchustin). Formed from Lat. and Gr. πεντεκοστή (Ital. pentecoste, Fr. pentecôte), lit. ‘fiftieth day after Easter’; OSax. te pincoston, ‘at Whitsuntide,’ Du. pinksteren, as well as OSlov. pętikostij, Whitsuntide.’ While the term Ostern, applied to the Christian passover, was orig. a heathen word, which has been retained in E. and G., in this instance the ecclesiastical name obtained on the Continent, and that probably prior to the OHG. period, as the initial pf in MidHG. indicates; it was perhaps introduced through a Goth. medium contemporaneously with Kirche and Pfaffe. In E., Whitsunday (Scand. hoítadagr) was retained from a very early period, since it was the chief day for baptism, and the newly baptized were wont to wear white garments during that week; hence the G. term ‘der weiße Sonntag’. (Dominica in Albis). From quinquagesima, the frequent rendering in MidLat. of pentecoste, are derived MidDu. sinxen, OIr. cincgigais, ‘Whitsuntide.’
Pfinztag, m., ‘Thursday,’ from MidHG. pfinztac; a word peculiar to Bav.-Austr., based on Goth. *pinta, equiv. to Gr. πέμπτη (Mod. Gr. πέφτη), ‘Thursday.’ It seems to have been introduced by Arians with Pfingsten and Samstag (see also Kirche and Pfaffe); comp. OSlov. pętŭkŭ, ‘Friday.’
Pfirsich, m. and f. (s after r as in Mörser and Hirse; yet Suab. pfêršiχ), from the equiv. MidHG. pfërsich, m., ‘peach’ (comp. Ital. pesca, Fr. pêche, whence E. peach). Although the word is not recorded until the 12th cent., Lat. persicum was naturalised in Germany even prior to the OHG. period (so too in England; comp. AS. persoc), as the permutation of the initial p to pf indicates (comp. Lärche and Pflaume), while Birne was adopted within the latter era. With regard to the gender see Pflaume. With the introduction of horticulture and fruit-growing from the South, numerous names of fruit passed into G.; see Kirsche, Pflaume, and pfropfen.
Pflanze, f., ‘plant, vegetable,’ from MidHG. pflanze, pflanza, f.; from the equiv. Lat. and Rom. planta (Fr. plante, Ital. pianta), whence AS., E., and Du. plant (so too Ir. cland, W. plant). This term was borrowed at the same period as the words mentioned under Pfirsich.
Pflaster, n., ‘plaster, pavement,’ from MidHG. pflaster, OHG. pflastar, n., ‘plaster, court-plaster, cement, mortar, floor of cement or stones’; borrowed, perhaps contemporaneously with Büchse, in the 8th cent., from Gr.-Lat. ἔμπλαστρον (comp. Ital. empiastro, Fr. emplâtre), ‘plaster,’ which in MidLat. also assumed the meaning ‘gypsum’ (comp. ModFr. plâtre), and was shortened to plastrum; comp. Ital. piastrello, ‘small plaster.’ In the sense of ‘pavement’ MidHG. pflaster was first used at the end of the MidHG. period. Comp. E. plaster and to emplaster.
Pflaume, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pflûme, f., ‘plum’; borrowed, as the ​permutated initial pf from p indicates, previous to the OHG. period (see Pfirsich) from Lat. prûnum, ‘plum,’ or rather its plur. prûna. The change of gender in names of fruit was made even in the Rom. group, as is shown by the words corresponding to Lat. cerasum, pomum, morum, and pirum; see Birne and Kirsche. Hence the late OHG. pfrûma, f., ‘plum,’ in closer connection with the Lat. form, and also pflûmo, ‘plum-tree.’ The s of the Lat. word is changed into l, as in Lat. morus, equiv. to Maulbeerbaum (comp. also Pilgrim, from Lat. peregrînus, which has, besides, m for Lat. n). Numerous MidHG. and ModHG. dial. forms, as well as the corresponding Du. pruim, likewise contain r; comp., on the other hand, AS. plûme, E. plum. The Rom. derivatives of Lat. prûnum are Fr. prune, Ital. prugna, Span. pruna (in MidLat. too forms with l and m occur instead of r and n; m, moreover, appears in South-East Fr. dials.). As to the time when the word was borrowed, see Pfirsich.
pflegen, vb., ‘to nurse, cherish, indulge in, be accustomed to,’ from MidHG. pflëgen, OHG. pflëgan, ‘to take care of, take a friendly interest in, provide for, protect, carry on, be wont or accustomed to,’ OHG. and early MidHG. also ‘to promise, stand security for.’ It corresponds to OSax. plëgan, ‘to promise, stand security, be answerable for,’ Du. plegen, ‘to nurse, execute, do, be accustomed’; also to AS. plëgian, ‘to move on rapidly, play,’ E. to play. The Prov. and OFr. plevir, ‘to assure, stand security,’ to which no definite Lat. and Rom. original can be assigned, is derived rather from MidEurop. Teut. (OSax. and OHG.) than the reverse. E. pledge originated in OFr. pleige, MidLat. plegium. Although the West Teut. cognates must have existed perhaps as early as the 4th cent., nothing definite can be asserted concerning their origin and their numerous meanings, the base of which seems to be ‘to act affectionately for, or in conjunction with, some one’; to this Gr. βλέφαρον, ‘eye,’ as well as βλέπειν, ‘to see’ (Aryan root glegh?), is perhaps primit. allied. If the cognates have been borrowed, their source cannot be determined; Rom. is out of the question, since it contains no suitable root from which they can be derived. See Pflicht.
Pflicht, f., ‘obligation, duty, allegiance,’ from MidHG. and OHG. pfliht, f., ‘friendly care, nursing, intercourse, sympathy, service, obligation’; a verbal abstract from pflegen; allied to AS. pliht, ‘danger,’ E. plight, as well as AS. pleón, ‘to risk,’ and pleóh, ‘danger’.
Pflock, m., from the equiv. late MidHG. pfloc (gen. -ckes), m., and pflocke, m., ‘plug, peg’; corresponding to Du. plug, vb. and subst., equiv. to the E. vb. and subst. plug. The word seems to be unknown to UpG.
pflücken, vb., ‘to pluck, gather,’ from the equiv. MidHG. pflücken (MidG. pflocken); OHG. *pflucchen is by chance not recorded; comp. Du. plukken, AS. pluccian (AS. *plyččan may be inferred from MidE. plicchen), E. to pluck, OIc. plokka, ‘to pluck’ (birds). Since the word is so widely diffused in OTeut. (it is wanting only in UpG.; yet note Swiss blucke, ‘to pluck,’ from the prim. form *bluggôn) there is absolutely no foundation for supposing that it has been borrowed. If it be assumed that the cognates found their way to the North with the South Europ. culture of the vine in the 2nd or 3rd cent., from Ital. piluccare, ‘to gather grapes’ (Prov. pelucar, ‘to pluck out,’ Fr. éplucher), then the early existence of the Rom. word must be more definitely established.
Pflug, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pfluoc (gen. -ges), m., OHG. pfluog, pfluoh, m., ‘plough’; corresponding to the equiv. Du. ploeg, AS. plôh, E. plough, OIc. plógr. These cognates, which were diffused in Teut. at an early period, as may be inferred from the agreement of the dialects, curiously correspond to the Slav. class, Serv. and Russ. plugŭ (Lith. pliugas), though the normal permutation does not take place in Teut. The Slav. word is probably borrowed from the Teut. original, which was perhaps acquired during the migratory period; comp. Pfad. Teut. plôgo also appears in Rhæto-Rom. and in Upper Ital.; Tyrol. plof, Lombard. piò. OTeut. likewise contained many terms for ‘plough’ which afterwards became obsolete; AS. sulh (primit. allied to Lat. sulcus), Goth. hôha, OIc. arl, OSax. ęrida. —
Pflugschar, f., ‘ploughshare,’ late MidHG. pfluocschar, MidE. ploughschare, E. ploughshare; allied like MidHG. schar, m. and n., OHG. scaro, ‘ploughshare,’ to scheren.
Pforte, f., ‘door, gate, portal,’ from the equiv. MidHG. pforte, OHG. (Franc.) pforta, f.; borrowed in the OHG. period, ​in the 8th cent., from Lat. porta; hence the absence of the permutation of t to z, which had been accomplished even in the 7th cent. (it is seen in OHG. pforzih, MidHG. pforzich, from Lat. porticus, which was introduced in the 5th or 6th cent. with the Southern art of building in stone; comp. AS. portič, E. porch). In MidG. and Lower Rhen., in which the permutation of t to z did not take place until later, we find in the MidHG. period the permutated form porze. ModHG. Porte, MidHG. porte, OHG. (UpG.) porta, is due to a more recent introduction into UpG.
Pfosten, m., ‘post, stake,’ from MidHG. pfoste, OHG. pfosto, m., ‘post, beam’; comp. Du. post, ‘door-post,’ AS. and E. post; from Lat. postis, the dimin. of which, postellus (Fr. poteau), is preserved in the Rom. languages. The word was borrowed in pre-HG. times contemporaneously with Pfahl.
Pfote, f., ‘paw, claw’; MidHG. *pfôte is wanting, though Lower Rhen. pôte, f., ‘paw,’ is recorded in the 14th cent.; corresponding to Du. poot, ‘paw, foot, leg.’ The prim. form pauta is also indicated by OFr. poe and Prov. paute, ‘paw’ (comp. also Fr. patte, ‘paw, claw’?). Whether the Rom. word is the source of the G. is uncertain; allied also to E. paw?. It has not yet been ascertained how the prevalent UpG. terms dåp, dôpe, ‘paw’ (MidHG. tâpe), are related to these cognates.
Pfriem (1.), m., from the equiv. MidHG. pfrieme. m., ‘awl’; corresponding to Du. priem, ‘awl, dagger’; allied to AS. preón, ‘awl, needle,’ E. preen, ‘tool for carding wool,’ OIc. prjónn, ‘nail, plug.’ With regard to the interchange of n and m romp. Boden, Feim, Pflaume, and Pilgrim.
Pfriem (2.), m., ‘broom’ (plant), based on Pfriem (1); from MidHG. pfrimme, OHG. pfrimma, f., ‘broom,’ with the variant brimma, which indicates that the word was borrowed; corresponding to Du. brem, ‘broom.’ The source of the cognates has not yet been discovered.
Pfropfen, m., ‘stopper, cork’ (first recorded in the last cent.); its form is based on the equiv. LG. propp, Du. prop, ‘plug, cork, stopper’; allied to E. prop. The cognates cannot be derived from Lat. proponere; they are more probably connected with the following group of words.
pfropfen, vb., ‘to plug up, cork,’ from MidHG. pfropfen, allied to OHG. pfroffo, *pfropfo, ‘layer of a vine, slip,’ MidHG. pfropfœre, ‘graft.’ OHG. pfroffo, pfropfo, m., is derived from Lat. prō̆pâgo, m. (for the retention of the nom. form instead of the oblique case see Pfau), ‘layer, slip,’ whence also Ital. propaggine, Fr. provin. With regard to the period when the word was borrowed see Pfirsich.
Pfründe, f., ‘benefice, living,’ from MidHG. pfrüende, pfruonde, OHG. pfruonta, f., food, maintenance; espec. the provisions supplied according to agreement; spiritual office and its revenue’; corresponding to the equiv. OSax. prevenda, f., Du. prove. Borrowed in the 8th cent. from MidLat. provenda, a variant of the earlier and more frequent praebenda (see Propst), which signified ‘cibi ac potus portiones diurnae, quae monachis, canonicis &c. praebentur’; hence Ital. provenda, Fr. provende, ‘store of provisions,’ Ital. prebenda, Fr. prébende, ‘prebend.’
Pfuhl, m., ‘pool, puddle,’ from the equiv. MidHG. and OHG. pfuol, m.; corresponding to Du. poel, AS. pôl, E. pool. On account of the numerous West Teut. cognates, as well as the diffculties presented by its sound and form, the word cannot have been borrowed at an early period from Lat. pălus (acc. pălûd-em). The early history of the Teut. pôlo- is obscure.
Pfühl, m. and n., ‘bolster, pillow,’ from MidHG. pfülwe, n., OHG. pfuliwî, n. ‘feather cushion’; also OHG. pfulwo, MidHG. pfulwe, m.; borrowed at the beginning of our era, as is indicated by the invariable permutation of p to pf, and the retention of the Lat. v as w, from Lat. pulvînus (pulvînar), ‘pillow, cushion, bolster,’ probably contemporaneously with Flaum, Kissen, and Pips. Comp. AS. pyle, pylwe, E. pillow, Du. peuluw, ‘pillow.’ The early period at which the West Teut. form pulwîn was borrowed is attested by the fact that Lat. pulvînus is not preserved in the Rom. languages.
Pfund, n., from the equiv. MidHG. pfunt (gen. -des), OHG. pfunt (gen. -tes), n., ‘pound’; corresponding to Goth., OIc., and AS. pund, E. pound, Du. pond, OSax. pund. Since the Goth. word coincides with the terms in the other dials., Pfund must be one of the earliest loan-words from Lat.; it passed into Teut. probably at the same period as Münze, about the 2nd cent., ​from Lat. pondo (indecl.), ‘pound’ (not from pondus, ‘weight’).
pfuschen, vb., ‘to bungle, botch,’ ModHG. only, of obscure origin. Allied to the equiv. Fr. bousiller?.
Pfütze, f., ‘puddle, slough,’ from MidHG. pfütze, f., ‘pool, puddle, well,’ OHG. (MidG.) pfuzzi, pfuzza (UpG.), buzza, f.; corresponding to OLG. putti, ‘well,’ Du. put, ‘well, puddle,’ AS. pytt, ‘well, pit,’ E. pit. The permutation of LG. t to zz, and the diffusion of the word throughout West Teut., proves the existence of the cognates in Germany in the 6th or 7th cent.; yet UpG. buzza seems to be a recently borrowed term. The word is based on Lat. puteus, ‘well, cistern,’ whence also Ital. pozzo, ‘draw-well,’ pozza, ‘puddle, pool,’ Fr. puits, ‘well’; likewise OIr. cuithe, W. peten, ‘well.’
Pick, Piek, m., ‘grudge, pique,’ ModHG. only; formed from LG. and Du. pik, ‘grudge, anger, hate,’ which is derived from Fr. pique, ‘pike; grudge, pique’ (comp. Ital. picca, ‘pike, pique’). The HG. word may, however, be borrowed directly from Fr. See Pike.
picken, vb., prop. LG. equiv. to E. to pick, AS. pican, ‘to pick’ (E. pike comes from AS. pîc).
Pickelhaube, f., ‘peaked helmet’; MidHG. (13th cent.) beckenhûbe (also beckelhûbe), f., ‘peaked helmet,’ allied to Becken; MidLat. bacinetum, bacilletum, ‘helmet,’ whence also Ital. bacinetto, ‘flat helmet, morion,’ is named from the orig. basin shape of the helmet.
Pickelhering, m., ‘merry-andrew, buffoon,’ borrowed in the beginning of the 17th cent. from E. pickle-herring, a term introduced by the English comedians into Germany.
Picknick, m., ‘picnic,’ ModHG. only, formed from Fr. pique-nique, whence also E. picnic. The origin of the word has not yet, however, been definitely established.
piepen, vb., ‘to pipe, pip, chirp,’ from LG. piepen, which, like Lat. pipare, is an onomatopoetic form; comp. the equiv. E. to peep, Gr. πιππίζειν, Fr. pépier, Ital. pipillare, Lith. pýpti, Czech pípati.
Pilger, m., and in an elevated antiquated style Pilgrim, ‘pilgrim,’ from MidHG. pilgrîn, bilegrîm (Pilger, from MidHG. pilgrî), m., OHG. piligrîm, m., ‘pilgrim,’ formed from MidLat. peregrînus. From OHG. is derived E. pilgrim. The change of Lat. r and n into HG. l and m is similar to that in Pflaume; the l in this word is found also in Rom.; comp. Fr. pélerin, Ital. pellegrino, ‘pilgrim’; in Italy, and espec. in Rome, the change of meaning; from ‘foreigner’ to ‘pilgrim’ was easily suggested. The word was borrowed by HG. in the 9th, and by E. in the 12th cent.
Pille, f., from the equiv. MidHG. pillele, f., ‘pill’; formed from Fr. pilule, Lat. pilula (Ital. pillola).
Pilot, m., ‘pilot,’ from Fr. pilote, probably through the medium of Du. piloot; the ultimate source is said to be Gr. πηδόν, ‘rudder.’
Pilz, m., ‘mushroom, fungus,’ from the equiv. MidHG. büleȥ (bülȥ), OHG. buliȥ (ModHG. i for ü is UpG. and MidG., as in Kitt); a specifically G. loan-word (comp. LG. bülte) from Lat. bôlêtus (Gr. βωλίτης), ‘mushroom’; probably naturalised in G. before the 7th cent., as may be inferred from the permutation of t to z (for Lat. ê, represented by OHG. î and ĭ comp. Kette and Münze). Its rare occurrence in Rom. (Grisons bulieu, Fr. bolet, Vosges bulo) supports the very early adoption of the word in HG. (comp. Pfühl).
Pimpernelle, f., ‘pimpernel,’ ModHG. only, formed from Fr. pimprenelle (Lat. pimpinella); MidHG. has the corrupt forms bibenelle, bibernelle.
Pinn, m., ‘peg, pin,’ from LG. and Du. pin (comp. MidE. pinne, E. pin); from MidLat. and Lat. pinna.
Pinsel, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pënsel, bensel (MidG.), pinsel, m., ‘painter's brush’; formed from MidLat. pinsellus from penicillus, ‘little tail,’ whence also the equiv. Fr. pinceau.
Pips, m., ‘pip,’ a LG. and MidG. form for the earlier ModHG. Pfipfs, from MidHG. and OHG. pfiffī̆z pfiffī̆ȥ, pfipfī̆ȥ, m., ‘pip’ (horny pellicle on the tip of a fowl's tongue). Borrowed at the beginning of the OHG. period or earlier (perhaps contemporaneously with Flaum and Kissen?) from MidLat. pipita, whence also Ital. pipita, Fr. pépie; likewise Du. and E. pip. The ultimate source of all the cognates is Lat. pī̆tuîta, ‘slime, phlegm, pip.’ In Henneberg the equiv. Zipf originated in the same prim. word through the intermediate form *tipwita.
pissen, vb., first occurs in early ModHG. from the similarly sounding LG. and ​Du. vb.; allied to the equiv. E. to piss, Fr. pisser (Ital. pisciare), The origin of this now widely diffused term cannot be easily determined.
placken, vb., ‘to plague,’ ModHG. only, intensive form of plagen.
Placken, m., ‘patch, piece,’ from MidHG. placke, m., ‘spot, place, district’; comp. Du. plak, ‘spot, blot,’ E. dial. platch (variant of patch). From these G. words, the origin of which is obscure (they can scarcely have originated in Lat. plaga), are derived Fr. plaque, placard, &c. Perhaps UpG. bletzen, ‘to patch,’ which has probably lost a guttural before the tz, is also connected with these cognates.
Plage, f., ‘plague, calamity,’ from MidHG. plâge, OHG. plâga, f., ‘divine punishment’; adopted on the introduction of Christianity during the OHG. period (comp. Pein) from Lat. plâga, ‘blow, thrust.’ From the same source the Rom. cognates, Ital. piaga, Fr. plaie, ‘wound’ (E. plague), are derived.
Plan, m., ‘plain, plan, project,’ from MidHG. plân, m. and f., ‘open space, plain’; from the equiv. Fr. plan.
Planke, f., ‘plank, board,’ from MidHG. planke, blanke, f., ‘thick board, plank, fortification’; corresponding to Du. and E. plank; borrowed in the MidHG. period from the equiv. Rom. and MidLat. planca; comp. Fr. planche, Ital. (Pied.) pianca.
plappern, vb., ModHG. only, an onomatopoetic form of a lost stem, blab, which is also indicated by the equiv. MidHG. blępzen, OHG. blabbiȥôn, ‘to blab, babble’; allied to ModHG. (dial) and Du. blaffen, ‘to bark, yelp,’ Alem. plapen, E. to blab.
plärren, vb., from the equiv. MidHG. blerren, blêren, ‘to cry, bleat’; an imitation of sound like Du. blaren, ‘to bleat,’ and E. to blare.
platt, adj., ‘flat, level, dull, downright’; in MidHG., only MidG. blatefuoȥ and platehuof, ‘flat foot, sole of the foot,’ are recorded. It is most closely connected with Du. (LG.) plat, ‘plat,’ which, like E. dial. plat-footed (i.e. flat-footed), is derived from Rom., Fr. plat, Ital. piatto. Their origin is ascribed to Gr. πλατύς. To this plätten (Du. pletten), ‘to flatten, iron (clothes),’ is allied, as well as Platte, f., ‘flat, dish’ (MidHG. blate, plate, signify only ‘covering for the breast, baldness’), formed from Du. plat, ‘flat,’ Fr. plat, E. plate.
Platteise, f., ‘plaice,’ formed from the equiv. Du. pladijs (platdijs), which is based on MidLat. platessa; comp. E. plaice.
Platz (1.), m., ‘place, row, seat, situation,’ from MidHG. platz, m., ‘open space, place’; formed, like Du. plaats, from the Rom. cognates, Ital. piazza, Fr. and E. place, which are derived from Lat. platē̆a (Gr. πλατεῖα), ‘street.’ The word seems to have been borrowed towards the end of the 13th cent.
Platz (2.), m., ‘pancake, fritter’; MidHG. only in MidG. platzbęcke, ‘pastry cook’; allied to platt, or from Pol. placek, ‘flat cake’?. The word is also current in UpG.
platzen, vb., ‘to crash, burst,’ from MidHG. platzen, blatzen, ‘to fall with a noise, strike.’ This word and blesten, ‘to splash,’ are derived from an onomat. stem, blad. Platschen and plätschern, Du. plassen, ‘to plash’ (plasregen, equiv. to Platzregen), are intensive forms of platzen.
plaudern, vb., ‘to chatter, chat,’ from late MidHG. plûdern, a variant of blâderen, blôdern, ‘to rustle, roar’; a recent form in imitation of sound, like Lat. blaterare, ‘to babble’
Plinze, f., ‘coiled fritter or pancake’; ModHG. only, an East MidG. word of Slav. origin; comp. Russ. blin, blince, ‘flat, round cake.’
plötzlich, adv., ‘suddenly,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. plozlich (also earlier ModHG. plotz merely); allied to *plotz, ‘sudden blow.’ In UpG. the adv. is quite unknown.
Pluderhose, f., ‘wide breeches,’ first occurs in early ModHG.; origin uncertain.
plump, adj., ‘plump, unwieldy, coarse,’ ModHG. only, from LG. and Du. plomp, ‘thick, coarse, blunt’ hence in Swiss pflumpfig, with the HG. permutation); from Du. the word seems to have passed into E. and Scand. as plump. The term plump was orig. an imitation of sound.
Plunder, m., ‘trash, lumber, plunder,’ from late MidHG. plunder, blunder, m., ‘household furniture, clothes, linen,’ which is probably a LG. loan-word (MidLG. plunde, ‘clothing’). Hence plündern, ‘to plunder,’ lit. ‘to take away the household furniture’ (also Du. plunderen, ‘to plunder’).
Plüsch, m., ‘plush,’ ModHG. only, formed from tho equiv. Fr. peluche (Ital. peluzzo).
Pöbel, m., ‘populace, rabble,’ formed ​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 ​in meaning is similar to that of hell; MidHG. brëhen, ‘to light, shine,’ may also have exercised some influence, as well as ModHG. prangen, the abstract of which could only be a form identical with Pracht. OHG. and OSax. braht, ‘noise,’ like the equiv. AS. breahtm, may be traced to a Teut. root ƀrah, ‘to make a noise.’
prägen, vb., ‘to stamp, impress,’ from the equiv. MidHG. prœchen, brœchen, which come from*brâhhjan, a derivative of brechen?. Akin to MidHG. brœch, ‘stamp, impression.’
prahlen, vb., ‘to parade, vaunt, boast,’ from MidHG. prâlen, ‘to make a noisy parade, shout’; comp. the equiv. Du. brallen and pralen, as well as E. to brawl. Its connection with Fr. brailer, ‘to bawl,’ and W. bragal, ‘to brag, bawl,’ is uncertain.
Prahm, m., ‘ferryboat, punt,’ ModHG. only, borrowed from LG.; comp. Du. praam, ‘transport,’ Dan. pram, OIc. prámr, E. prame. The whole of the cognates are derived from Slav.; comp. Slav. pramŭ, which is connected with the Aryan root par, ‘to carry across,’ preserved in HG. fahren (OHG. faran).
prallen, vb., ‘to strike, rebound,’ from MidHG. pręllen (pret. pralte), ‘to strike violently against, recoil.’ Further references are wanting.
prangen, vb., ‘to make a parade, display,’ from MidHG. prangen, brangen, ‘to adorn oneself, boast’ (comp. Pracht); origin obscure. Its relation to the following word is uncertain.
Pranger, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pranger, branger, m., ‘stocks, pillory.’ It is impossible to regard this word as a euphemistic term connected with prangen, on account of Du. prang, ‘pressure, oppression,’ prangen, ‘to press, squeeze,’ pranger, ‘iron collar, barnacles, cooper's hook,’ E. dial. prong, ‘fork.’ These words show that LG. Pranger (the HG. dials. have Pfranger) is connected with Goth. praggan, MidHG. pfrengen, ‘to crowd, oppress.’ The further history of the word is obscure.
prasseln, vb., ‘to crackle, rustle,’ from the equiv. MidHG. prasteln, brasteln, OHG. *brastalôn; comp. the equiv. AS. brastlian. These words are connected, like MidHG. brasten, OHG. brastôn, ‘to crack,’ with the OHG. str. vb. brëstan, MidHG. brësten, ‘to break.’
prassen, vb., ‘to riot, carouse,’ ModHG. only, from Du. brassen, ‘to gormandise’ (akin to bras, ‘feast’). OIc. brass, ‘cook,’ and brasa, ‘glowing coal’ (comp. OFr. brese, Prov. brasa), may be connected with it.
predigen, vb., ‘to preach,’ from the equiv. MidHG. prędigen, brędigen, OHG. prędigôn, brędigôn (brêdiôn); corresponding to OSax. prędigôn, Du. prediken. Borrowed in the OHG. period from the ecclesiastical Lat. and Rom. prœdicâre (Fr. prêcher, whence E. preach, Ital. predicare), from which OIr. pridchim, ‘I preach,’ is also derived. —
Predigt, f., ‘sermon’; UpG. Predig; MidHG. brędige, brędigât, OHG. brędiga (brędia) and brędigunga.
Preis, m., ‘price, cost, prize, reward,’ from MidHG. prîs (brîs), m., ‘praise, splendour, noble deed’; borrowed in the 12th cent. from OFr. prîs (ModFr. prix), whence also E. price, prize, Du. prijs. The ultimate source is Lat. prĕtium (whence also Ital. prezzo). The expression preisgeben has nothing to do with this word, but is due rather to the equiv. Ital. dar presa; Ital. presa (equiv. to Fr. prise), ‘seizure, booty catch,’ may be traced back to Lat. prœhendere. Comp. further preisen.
Preiselbeere, f., ‘cranberry,’ ModHG. only; the dial. variants Preusel-, Praus-, Brausbeere seem to indicate a MidHG. *briuȥelbere; their relation to the equiv. Bohem. brusina, bruslina, Lith. brùknė, Lett. brūklene is not quite clear.
preisen, vb., ‘to praise, commend,’ from MidHG. prîsen, wk. vb., ‘to assign the prize, praise, extol’ (in the 15th cent. it passed over to the str. vbs.); formed from Fr. priser, ‘to value, estimate’ (comp. Ital. prezzare, MidLat. prĕtiare), whence Du. prijzen, E. to praise. With regard to the period at which the word was borrowed comp. Preis.
prellen, vb., ‘to swindle, cheat,’ lit. ‘to squeeze, push’; prop. identical with ModHG. prallen, which see.
Presse, f., ‘press, pressure, strait, printing-press’; from Fr. presse; MidHG. prësse, OHG. prëssa (pfrëssa), ‘winepress,’ is like the equiv. AS. presse (persa), Du. presse, an earlier loan-word from MidLat. pressa. MidHG. prësse, ‘crowd, throng,’ is connected with the equiv. Fr. presse.
Priamel, f., from the equiv. late MidHG. preambel, priamel, ‘a short gnomic poem,’ which is derived from MidLat. praeambulam, ‘proverb.’
prickeln, vb., ‘to prick, goad,’ ModHG. ​only, prop. a LG. word, of which the strictly HG. variant pfrëcken is once recorded in late MidHG. Comp. Du. prikkelen (prikken), ‘to prick, stitch,’ AS. prician, E. to prick, and prickle, equiv. to Du. prikkel; these words are based on an OTeut. root prik, which, in spite of the initial p, cannot have been borrowed.
Priester, m., ‘priest,’ from the equiv. MidHG. priester, OHG. priestar (prêstar), m.; corresponding to OSax. prêstar, Du. priester (AS. preôst, E. priest, OIc. prest-r). The cognates were borrowed, at a comparatively late period, from Lat. and Rom. presbyter (Gr. πρεσβύτερος), or rather from its shortened variant *prêster, whence also Fr. prêtre (OFr. prestre), as well as Ital. prete, Span. preste (likewise OIr. cruimther). The orig. sense, ‘elder,’ was a respectful term applied to the spiritual head of the community (orig. used perhaps only in addressing him); comp. Abt, Papst, and also Herr. The Lat. word was not adopted in OHG. before the 9th cent. (contemporaneously with predigen).
Prinz, m., ‘prince (of the blood),’ from MidHG. prinze, m., ‘prince (sovereign ruler)’; borrowed in the 13th cent. from the equiv. Fr. prince (whence also E. prince, Ital. prence), which is derived from Lat. princeps.
Prise, f., ‘capture, prize; pinch (of snuff)’; ModHG. only, from Fr. prise.
Pritsche, f., ‘bat, racket, wooden sword of a harlequin,’ from late MidHG. *britze, f., which is only implied, however, by the two compounds — britzelmeister, ModHG. Pritschelmeister, ‘a harlequin carrying a wooden sword with which he directs the order of the game,’ and britzelslahen, ‘blow with the wooden sword.’ The meaning ‘wooden conch’ points to a connection between Pritsche and Brett.
Probe, f., ‘proof, trial, test, sample,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. prôbe, f., which is derived from Ital. proba, ‘proof’ (comp. Fr. épreuve).
Probst and Provoß, see Propst.
prophezeien, vb., ‘to prophesy,’ ModHG. only, a derivative of MidHG. prophezîe (prophetîe), f., ‘prophecy.’ Allied to MidHG. prophezieren, ‘to prophesy.’
Propst, m., ‘provost,’ from MidHG. probest, brobest, OHG. probost, probist (provost), ‘superintendent, overseer, provost,’ a loan-word from Lat. and Rom. propositus (syncopated propostus), prœpositus, whence Ital. prevosto, ‘provost,’ Fr. prevôt, ‘assistant, provost.’ The word was borrowed by OHG. in the 9h cent. Profoß is a later loan-word, which, like Du. provoost, ‘marshal (navy), provost-marshal,’ E. provost, has assumed different meanings by connection with OFr. prevost. AS. profast agrees with the G. words in substituting the prefix pro for prae. Comp. Pfründe.
prüfen, vb., ‘to try, examine, prove, test,’ from MidHG. prüeven, brüeven (pret. pruofte), wk. vb., ‘to demonstrate, consider, count, test, put right’; this vb., which is of frequent occurrence from the 12th cent., is based on OFr. prover (ModFr. prouver), which is again derived, like Ital. provare, from Lat. prŏbâre. The abnormal üe of the MidHG. vb. comes from East Fr. üe (East Fr. prüeve, from Lat. prŏbat). Comp. Fr. prouver, éprouve, E. proof (even in AS. prôfian, ‘to demonstrate’). With regard to the treatment of Lat. ŏ in recent loan-words see further Schule.
Prügel, m., ‘cudgel,’ from late MidHG. brügel, m., ‘club’; allied to MidHG. brüge, ‘wooden platform.’ The history of the word is obscure.
Prunk, m., ‘parade, ostentation,’ ModHG. only, prop. a LG. word. Comp. the equiv. Du. pronk, which is perhaps allied to prangen.
Psittich, see Sittich.
Pudel, m., ‘poodle, slattern; blunder,’ ModHG. only; of obscure origin.
Puder, m., ‘powder, hair-powder,’ ModHG. only, from Fr. poudre.
puffen, vb., ‘to puff, buffet, cuff,’ ModHG. only, prop. a LG. word; comp. Du. pof, ‘thrust, blow, credit’ (whence ModHG. Puff in the sense of ‘credit’), probably allied also to bobbien, buffen, ‘to strike,’ E. buffet, subst. and vb.; puff (hence the meaning of Puff, ‘puffing of a sleeve’), and to puff (AS. pyffan). “The close proximity of the meanings ‘to blow’ (inflate) and ‘to strike’ is not unusual; Fr. souffer and soufflet furnish a ready example; the Rom. languages have the same stem,” though it is not necessary to assume that one was borrowed from the other; the stem buf may have originated independently as an imitative form in both groups. Comp. Ital. buffo, ‘blast of wind,’ buffettare, ‘to snort,’ Span. bofetada, ‘box on the ear.’
Puls, m., ‘pulse,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. puls, m. and f.; Lat. pulsus (akin to pulsare, ‘to beat’), ‘beat’ (of the pulse), ​is shown by Du. pols, E. pulse, Fr. pouls, Ital. polso, &c., to be a common term in medicine in the Middle Ages,
Pult, m. and n., ‘desk, writing-desk,’ from the equiv. late MidHG. pult, n., with the older variants pulpt, pulpet, pulpit. A later loan-word from Lat. pulpĭtum, ‘wooden platform,’ whence also Ital. pulpito, ‘pulpit,’ Fr. pupitre, ‘desk’ (E. pulpit).
Pulver, n., ‘powder, gunpowder,’ from MidHG. pulver, m. and n., ‘dust, ashes’ (also in the 15th cent. ‘gunpowder’). From Lat. pulver (Fr. poudre, Ital. polvere).
Pumpe (East MidG. variant Plumpe), f., ‘pump,’ ModHG. only, prop. a LG. word; comp. the equiv. Du. pomp, E. pump. The further history of the word is obscure.
Puppe, f., ‘puppet, doll,’ even in late MidHG. puppe, boppe, from the equiv. Lat. pûpa, whence also Fr. poupée, ‘puppet,’ poupon, ‘chubby child’ (from which Du. pop and E. puppet are formed).
pur, adj., ‘pure, downright, mere,’ ModHG. only, from Lat. purus.
purzeln, vb., ‘to tumble head over heels’ Alem. bürzle seems to suggest that this word is connected with Bürzel.
pusten, vb., ‘to blow, puff,’ ModHG. only, prop. a LG. word; the strictly HG. forms are seen in MidHG. pfûsen, ‘to sneeze, snort,’ and pfiusel, ‘catarrh’ Akin to E. pose, ‘catarrh’?.
Pute, f., ‘turkey-hen,’ ModHG. only, perhaps a subst. form of the cry of the bird. Its connection with E. pout (Turkey-pout) is not clear.
putzen, vb., ‘to deck, dress, polish,’ from late MidHG. butzen, ‘to adorn.’