From: tolgs001
Message: 22661
Date: 2003-06-04
> That is exactly how I seen the things George. And the senses are so
> strictly related to ex-soldiers that it cannot be a coincidence. Less
> the meaning of "bãtrân" which is not related to soldier but just "old"
> for animate.
> And it ought to remember there are two words more from Latin which means
> old:
>
> veclus > vechi= old for inanimate
> vetulus > vãtui = old for animate.
>
> I perfectly agree that veterans have been old (40-50) years and from
> this aspect there is easy to think veteran=old, but there is something
> very interesting. There is the word "bãtrânior" which is given by DEX as
> derived from... "bãtrâior".
> We agree that "bãtrânior" sounds a bit "unangenehm" in Rom and
> "bãtrâior" is the one who sounds "OK".
> A such confirmation ( as the derivation of bãtrânior from bãtrâior) will
> confirme more that _not_ "veteranus" is the root for the Rom. family ,
> but a root like "vatar/vater" which looks very appropiate to Latin
> "veter-". Here, as in "vita/viata", "vitelus/viTel" is allways a small
> difference, but enough for not allowing these words to derive from
> Latin.
>
> alex