Re: [tied] Pigs

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Piotr Gasiorowski <gpiotr@...>
wrote:

> tgpedersen wrote:
>
> > Since some relate *bhag- "distibute; eat" to *bhag- "beech; oak",
> > asumming the latter to have been named from its role as pig feed,

I

> > was wondering if English 'pig' might belong here too. How is your
> > monograph on pigs coming along, Piotr?
>
> It was an article on the word "dog". Finished long ago but still in
> limbo, at the publishers' mercy. When I hear from them, I'll post

the

> details. As for "pig" (OE *picga, attested indirectly), I wouldn't

know

> how to connect it with *bHag-.
>
> Piotr

********
Buck's "Synonyms" cites OE 'pic' "pick, pike" and says "orig. an
epithet referring to the shape". I guess pigs were a different shape
back in those days.
IF *picga referred to the very young animal (and I don't know if
it did or not) then the sow would be responsible for nutrition and
Torsten's etymology wouldn't look too good either.
Dan Milton