Re: swallow vs. nightingale

At 8:37:23 AM on Saturday, November 17, 2007, tgpedersen
wrote:

>> No, because of the multiple irregularies of <Amsel> ~
>> <ouzel> ~ <merula> ~ <mwyalch>.
>> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist/message/19248

> Leafing through Falk & Torp: Etymologisk Ordbog I came
> across some bird names which should be added to this
> etymon (my translation):

> "Meise (parus) is borrowed from Germ. Meise, while sw. mes
> and Nynorsk meis probably are domestic names; ON has
> meisingr, whence Fr. mésange.

Both De Vries, citing Gamillscheg, and Dauzat derive
<mésange> from a Frankish <me:singa>, Petit Robert from Frk.
<meisinga>.

> To ON meisa corresponds MLG mêse (Du. mees), OE mâse (with
> the reformed compositions Eng. titmouse and coalmouse,
> colemouse < OE colmâse = No. kulmeise, Sw kolmes: cf.
> musvit). The word cannot be separated from Welsh mwyalch
> (from *meisalko) "blackbird", with probably the ablauted
> form Lat. merula "blackbird" (from *misulâ)."

Brian