From: tgpedersen
Message: 60146
Date: 2008-09-19
>...
> At 11:41:48 AM on Thursday, September 18, 2008, tgpedersen
> wrote:
>
> [...]
>
> > Found in de Vries: Altnordisches etymologisches Wörterbuch
> > at the library, by memory:
>
> Not entirely accurate. I've summarized the entries (and
> some related ones), leaving his definitions untranslated.
> > breka: beg (as a beggar)I knew I'd seen it somewhere:
>
> <brek> (neut.) 'begierde; list, trug' (OE <(ge)brec>
> 'geräusch', MLG <brek> 'gebrechen, mangel'.
>
> <breka> wk. vb. 'verlangen' (first attested in the 13th
> century) (Norw. <breka> 'bitten'; cf. OHG <brehho:n>
> 'betrüben'). [No mention of beggars.]
>
> <breki> (masc.) 'brecher' (poet.) (OE <wiðerbreca> 'gegner,
> feind')
>
>
> Cleasby & Vigfusson (and Zoëga, if different):
>
> <brak> 'a creaking noise' (Zoëga adds 'crack')
>
> <braka> 'to creak (of timber)'. (Zoëga: 'to creak, crack')
>
> <brek> 'a fraudulent purchase of land' (law term); in the
> plural 'freaks', chiefly of children. (Zoëga: 'claim,
> demand')
>
> <breka> 'to keep asking', of importunate requests. (Zoëga:
> 'to keep asking') Both mention a proverb: 'Látum barn
> hafa þat er brekar' (We let children have what they pester
> us for'). [Still no mention of beggars.]
>
> There are also <brekboð> 'a fraudulent bidding' (of land),
> <breklaust> 'without fraud', <brekráð> 'an attempt at
> fraudulent acquisition', and <breksekt> 'fraudulent outlawry
> (to prevent one from pleading his case)', all in legal
> contexts, and <brekvísi> 'importunity, importunate
> solicitation'.