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 2 of 2 1 2
#36563 07/26/01 09:57 PM
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
I see no conflict between the two general meanings of "vain," as herein defined. One is no different nor the other.


Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
re: African roots

but. [In current use 1676–7; origin unascertained.
For an alleged Negro origin there is no foundation; the quot. 1676–7 from Virginia does not refer to Negroes; later the word is found well-established in the New England States; evidence for an Indian origin is also wanting.]
1676–7 (Feb.) Grievances of Glouc. Co. (Va.), (Col. Office Rec., P.R.O. 5/1371, p. 326), They [Governor's out-guard] were by Beverly comanded to goe to work, fall trees and mawle and toat rails, which many+refusing to doe, he presently disarm'd them.



#36565 07/27/01 09:16 AM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
B
old hand
Offline
old hand
B
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
'wehen'

Hmmm? 'Wehen' is a verb meaning 'to sway', but I didn't find it in the Die Zehn Gebote. Nor did I find Weh or Wehe (meaning pain or woe), which is what I thought you might have meant.
'Wehen' describes a woman's labour while giving birth too.

To swear or to curse is 'fluchen' or 'verfluchen', respectively. Or even 'verdammen' (in a more biblical vein ;-) but that isn't in there either.

Lastly (after being so little help), I do know a saying using 'wehen':

Sich den Staub von der Seele wehen lassen
To let the dust waft gently from the soul

BTW, the German (and informal English) word for 'to tote' is schleppen :-)


#36566 07/27/01 11:45 AM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
well we in NY tend to drop the final en and and use schlep-- as in "i had the grandkid with me, and had to schlep around a diaper bag, too" and those small metal luggage carts? they are schleppers or schleppies.. as in "i came home from the trip with a ton of stuff-- but i had my schlepper and bungies with me, so it wasn't too bad"-- there are lots of german/yidish word in the NY english-- Essa Bagel is a local Bagel shop-- based on the german/yidish-- eat a bagel-- (i don't know the proper german verb-- so i not even going to try..)


#36567 07/27/01 04:59 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 427
addict
Offline
addict
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 427
Interestingly, the word vano, the equivalent of "vain" in Spanish has three distinct meanings.
1) Vain as in someone given to vanity, though it is not that commonly used
2) Vain as in "in vain"
3) The opening in a wall which contains a window or a door. It is not the window or door itself, but the hole in the brickwork. This one is, I think, much closer to the Latin meaning of "empty", as a vano contains nothing but air!



Page 2 of 2 1 2

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