Re: Vampire [was: Pagan, heathen ...]

From: Abdullah Konushevci
Message: 25545
Date: 2003-09-05

piotr.gasiorowski wrote:
> "Nosferatu" is Bram Stoker's invention, perhaps a garbled version
of a
> genuine Romanian word (e.g. <nesuferitul> 'the unbearable'?).
Again, our
> Romanian friends are better qualified to judge.
>
> Piotr
************
I guess that that grabled version of Bram Stoker "Nosferatu" is not
<nesuferitul> 'unbearable', but <nusferitul> with negation particle
<nu> 'not' and <sferit> 'to exterminate', akin to Alb. <shfer> 'to
exterminate' (today shfaros 'terminate'), formed from negation prefix
sh- + farë 'seed'.
I don't know does <sferitul> exists in Romanian, but I am aware that
negation prefix s- exists in <sminti> as <farima> too.
So, to my point of view, the supposed form
<nusferitul> 'unterminated, undead' could be easy the explanation.

Regards,
Konushevci