--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Wordingham" <richard@...> wrote:
>
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Kishore patnaik"
> <kishorepatnaik09@> wrote:
>
> > The word Druh has a very special connotation.
>
> > It means violation or molestation of (an established) Order.
>
> > Interestingly, the word Druh also has a meaning priest, like in
> > Asuradruh (Sage Sukra) from which the word Druid (the Celtic
> > priest)seems to have been derived.
>
> Monier-Williams translates 'asuradruh' as 'enemy of the asuras',
> which seems a much simpler explanation.
>
> The PIE root of _druh_ is *dHreugH (cf. Sanskrit future
> _dHro:ks.yati_), and it seems very odd for the velar to have dropped
> from the 'Druid' word - Latin _druidae_, _druides_ < Gaulish
> _druides_, with Irish also evidencing the second /d/. (Welsh
> _derwyddon_ 'druids' derives from Celtic *derwijes.) The usually
> suggested etymologies for 'druid' are from *derwos 'true' (so =
> 'soothsayer') and from the 'tree' word (PIE *deru or similar), which
> often has the meaning 'oak'. (It is also suggested that these two
> roots are themselves etymologically related.)
The following would traditionally not be relevant, but I'll rague that
it might be.
From Dansk Etymologisk Ordbog: (trsl. mine)
"
djærv adj. "brave, bold", ODa. dierf, Nw. djerv, Sw. djärv, ON djarfr;
in Da. resumed in the 18th cent.; from Germc. *derBa- in ablaut
relation to *darBia-, from which OSax. derbi "powerful, evil", while
German derb is considered to be mixed up of this word and another one
corresponding to PN þjarfr "unleavened, insipid". -
Most likely from PIE *dherebh- "coagulate, compress; viscous", the
older sense would then still be present in Nw.dial. dirna (from
*dirfna) "thrive, get stronger". Thus related to eg. Gr. trophós,
"nourishing", tróphis "fat, strong, big", trépho: "feeds, nourishes",
from the sense "makes coagulate, makes fat". -
According to another theory, however, to PIE *dherbh- "work" like OE
deorfan "work", Lith dìrbu, dìrbti, "work", dárbas noun "work",
Armen. derbut "coarse, stiff".
"
At least in Danish it has also the secondary sense "forthright,
outspoken" (I can't seem to find similar senses for the ON word, but
the semantic development seems natural).
Question: could this be loan in Germanic from some neighbor
(<- *dérw-?) The semantics of traditional solutions somehow doesn't
impress me, I don't recall any epic calling their hero insipid, fat or
viscous, but maybe it's just me? And how would one account for the
ablaut relation?
Torsten