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#104858 06/05/03 10:23 AM
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and its a YART, but what the heck,'Panch' (pronounced as 'punch') is Sanskrit for 'five', is related to the Latin root penta (5) and then gets the p turned into an F, e to an i, and the nt to a f or v... (all by various germanic cognates,) to give english five!

Penta itself lives on in Pentigon, and various other words that have a quality of 5.

Panca/penta was covered sometime in the not to distant past, about a year ago.. maybe a few months more or less.


#104859 06/06/03 01:35 AM
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The prefix penta- is Greek. The Latin equivalent is quin-

Bingley


Bingley
#104860 06/06/03 02:33 AM
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oops. oh well a pentagon is still a five sided figure, and penta went to through a whole bunch of changes in the german tongue to become five.

i remember that, because there seemed no connection between penta/quin* and five. (but better linguist than me found lots of evidence there is a link)


#104861 06/06/03 04:08 PM
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penta went to through a whole bunch of changes in the german tongue to become five.


I would be interested in reading about that.


#104862 06/06/03 05:03 PM
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interested in reading about that

http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE393.html


#104863 06/06/03 05:40 PM
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wwh Offline OP
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Hey, Faldage: what are the chances for "pinky" meaning little finger, fifth finger, being derived from "penk"?


#104864 06/06/03 05:50 PM
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"pinky" … being derived from "penk"

Ya know, Dr Bill, I never thught of that. It's an interesting notion, but my gut feeling is the chances are pretty teeny.


#104865 06/07/03 10:14 AM
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wwh, I think that's a wonderful factoid, if a factoidinal factoid!

And, Faldage, thanks for the link to penka and gang.

I have learned there that I am a quinquagenarian. Now to learn how to pronounce what I am...


#104866 06/07/03 01:07 PM
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wwh Offline OP
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Hey,hey,hey! Faldage, look at this:
pinkie1
n.
5prob. < Du pinkje, dim. of pink, little finger6 the fifth, or smallest, finger




#104867 06/07/03 02:43 PM
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Yeow! Dr Bill! A big fat kudos on ya!


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