Re: Italo-Albano-Romanian Parallels

>>> _Penso_ 'think'is a learned reintroduction - the
>>> normal form is _peso_ 'weigh'.
>>
>> The Romanian reflex: as a noun: <pãs> [p&s], plur. <pãsuri>
>> ['p&surj] "anger / suffering, pain". As a verb: <pãsa/-re>
>> (+ the dative) "to care; be concerned; pay heed / to
>> hang/fall because heavy." (There is a further <pãsa/-re>
>> verb, "go," but this one < Lat. passare; it is old-fashioned.)
>
> The verb 'passen' in German (loan from Low German?) and Dutch
> has the sense "to care; be concerned; pay heed", but is
> usually explained as a loan from French 'passer'. But does
> that French word really have that sense?
>
> Torsten

In German, <passen> needs the separable prefix auf- to
be able to cover the meaning "take care of:" <aufpassen>.
(actually primordialy, if I ain't wrong: "watch out").

Otherwise, the simple <passen> keeps staying within the
frame of "to fit; be compatible" (plus the specialized
case of the poker game: <passe!>). (dialectal prefs: aaf-,
uff-, op-, up-) (note, esp. in the Southern parts of the
Reich, "passt scho'!" = "awright," "okay")

The German dictionary Wahrig says: < frz. _passer_ for
both German verbs <passen> and <passieren> "(A) to pass,
to go past s.th. + (B) to happen" (for the latter verb,
it also says that the meanings "gehen (go), vorbeigehen
(go past)" of French <passer> were relevant).

George