Hi,
<<<The two latter makes one suspect the word designated a
people, the first one would then be where they lived. Given (my guess) Germ.
*wos- > Freench gueux "beggar; uncouth person" > (loan) Dutch geus
"beggar", it would be tempting to identify them with (the ancestors of) the
'watergeuzen' that played a large role in the Dutch struggle for independence
(the traditional translation as "sea-beggars" doesn't match the resume of a
pirate). Not that I know much
about that shadowy
people.<<<
The word 'gueux' denoting the rebelous group of
protestant Dutch noblemen was first used by Berlaymont, a councilor of
Margaretha of Parma, in 1566. It was his way to express his contempt towards
them. First attestation in Dutch is 1599 ('gheus').
Whatever the etymology of the particular word (and Brian already gave a
few possible origins), the Dutch noblemen took this originally
derogatory word as a name of honour and started to call themselves that way
(in Dutch this is still called "een geuzennaam"). IMHO, there is _no
reason whatsoever_ to start speculating about an identification "with (the
ancestors of) the 'watergeuzen'". It would be the same as starting to
speculate about the ancestors of the Red Socks players on the basis of the
etymologies of 'red' and 'socks'...
Please note that there were also groups named 'bosgeuzen' (lit.
forest/bush geuzen).
Groetjes,
Frank
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