Re: Push

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From: The Egyptian Chronicles

Torsten wrote:

Skeat derives 'push' from Latin pulsa:re.
Why the -sh then?




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PROBLEMS:

In addition, the first occurrence in Middle French: pouce, poussa, poussah
dates from the end of the 14 th c., while the Middle English verb dates a
century earlier from c.1300. This is strange, since the English push is
considered a LW from O.Fr. poulser «bousculer, heurter», «secouer
violemment, agiter», «poursuivre», «frapper».

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It's true that *pou(l)ser seems not to be attested very early.
But pouls "heart pulse" < *pulsus is attested circa 1140.
There's little doubt that the verb must have existed.
Bouter in the meaning "to push" used to be more frequent than pou(l)ser.

A.
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Moreover, the French «pousser» has an added new meaning; that of «growth of
the first bud in spring or small new branch of a tree» : "Tige de première
pousse (Déverbal de pousser). Première pousse. Pousse qui se produit au
printemps, «petite branche nouvelle d'un arbre». Le suj. désigne une plante
ou une production du corps] A. −Empl. intrans. 1. Croître (to grow). L'herbe
pousse; les blés poussent; laisser pousser ses ongles, ses cheveux, sa
barbe."

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This is a late development.
A.
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