Re: [tied] Re: Lutte

At 12:08:50 PM on Friday, August 5, 2005, Richard Wordingham wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Daniel J. Milton"
> <dmilt1896@...> wrote:

>> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Carl Hult
>> <datalampa@...> wrote:

>>> I´ve been asked to look up the french word for fued or
>>> wrestling, lutte. Hard to find a etyomlogical dictionary
>>> for french words when I hardly know a word of french.
>>> Anyone who knows its history?

>> lutte <--- post-Classical Latin 'lucta' "wrestling match"
>> (I presume the English 'ineluctable' derives therefrom)
>> <--- Greek (not sure exactly which form, but cf. 'lugizo'
>> "bend like a twig" <-- 'lugos' "withe" <--- I.E. root I
>> can't cite because online Pokorny just became
>> inaccessible.

> Pokorny *leug #1189 p685 'bend'. Pokorny does not agree
> that the Latin derives from Greek. The root is also the
> source of Latin _luxus_ 'dislocated' and possibly of
> _luxus_ 'luxurious'.

> The French form is curious - wouldn't the regular
> derivative be *luite?

Old French in fact had <luite>, and <loitier>, <loitier> for
the verb (modern <lutter>). The former is found in Benôit
de Saint-Maure, Chronique des ducs de Normandie (1160), the
latter in Roland (ca.1080). Perhaps laterreformed on the
basis of Italian <lutta>?

Brian