Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1
B
stranger
OP Offline
stranger
B
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1
Not a lot more to the question really. Why are fishermen called anglers?

BCH

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Because the hook forms an angle?

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Because the hook is an angel in Old English. The noun yielded a verb in Middle English anglen 'to fish'.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Does this mean that
Quote:
angel I.m. 'angle' hook, fish hook, Bo (?) M t L (ongul)
angel II.m.= engel-(dutch) (= angel?)
fish hook and angel are from the same source and yet have no apparent connection? Or does angel come from a complete different source?

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Originally Posted By: BranShea
Does this mean that
Quote:
angel I.m. 'angle' hook, fish hook, Bo (?) M t L (ongul)
angel II.m.= engel-(dutch) (= angel?)
fish hook and angel are from the same source and yet have no apparent connection? Or does angel come from a complete different source?

Probably not. AHD only takes them back to OE and Greek, respectively but I wouldn't think there is much connection between fishhooks and messengers.

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
FWIW, angel is from Greek αγγελος (angelos) the translation of Hebrew מַלְאַךְ (mal'akh) 'messenger'. The word for fishhook, which occurs in other languages (e.g., Old High German ango, angul 'fishhook, spine, barb', Old Irish écath 'fishhook') is from PIE *ank- 'to bend, curve' (IEW pp.45f.), and which is related to Latin angulus 'angle, corner, nook', Greek αγκυλος (ankulos) 'bent', αγκυρα (ankura) 'anchor'.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
there ya go.


formerly known as etaoin...
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Yeh,well, the funny and confusing thing is that the Du. word "engel" = "angel" only needs one character at the front: (h) "hengel" to get the meaning "fishing rod" and the word "hengelaar" means "angler".

To make it more confusing the word "engelenhaar" means "angel's hair".

I see from your post that the origins are different , but in Dutch it all gets rather "hooked up". Quite amusing.

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 5
L
lfs Offline
stranger
Offline
stranger
L
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 5
simple~

the rod : line relationship is always an angle, usually obtuse
( more than a right, 90 degree angle ) and rarely acute ( less than 90 ).

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
the rod : line relationship is always an angle, usually obtuse

This is a joke, right? Did you read the rest of the thread?


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 444 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5