From: Peter P
Message: 60809
Date: 2008-10-11
>Finnish pantti 'pledge'(panttivanki - 'hostage') < Sw. pant.
>
> Grimm sees OFr paner "remove" from pan "piece of cloth", Lat. pannus
> as the origin of Pfand, Da. pant, (first in the Lex frisionum), Fi.,
> Est. pantti "pawn, pledge" (loans?), which again would be the origin,
> according to some, of OHG phandich etc "penny" where the geminate
> gradually replaced the -nd-. But Finnish and Estonian have pan- "put",
> Finnish has panos "contribution, stake". Remember that money was once
> melted down and divided loot, the weight of the pieces guaranteed by
> the stamp of he who divided it, the king etc.
>
> Torsten
>