From: alexandru_mg3
Message: 63910
Date: 2009-05-20
>It's the same word for sure....
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Rau Eugen <eugenrau@> wrote:
> >
> > On 5/9/09, Berzovan Alexandru <prince_of_sarmizegetusa@> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Hy to everybody,
> > > I would like to ask you about the origin of a few rare Romanian
> > > words, and if they might came from Daco-Moesian language. In the
> > > Romanian etimological dictionaries I consulted so far, they have
> > > "unknown origin", that is an etiquette often aplied to possible
> > > Daco-Moesic substratum words...
> > >
> > > "Momaie" with alternative forms: , with the following meaning :
> > > scarecrow, mound made of stons as marking sign, boogeyman, ghost.
> > > "Muiama", with the meaning of ghost, or evil spirit, etc, that
> > > form i found it highly used in SW Romania only and does not
> > > appear in dictionaries. "Momarlan", that is the name of Romanian
> > > pastoral population from Jiu Valley.
> > >
> > > These have a large variety of derivate words also, I hope can be
> > > found some possible etimologies
> > >
> > > with respect,
> > > Alexandru
> > >
> >> Hello,
> > I don`t ask myself if daco/moesian or not.I propose you another
> > word maybe related
> > - Momitze, that`s animal testicles wich in some Balkanic cultures
> > are used as say an exotic dish.
> > The common element of both words is
> > - both are related to something wraped in a bag like scrotum for
> > testicles and old mumies wraping or dried skin.
> > You know both are related to old,fixed in the past,not necessary
> > active, but representing the past and ancestors..That is common for
> > momaie,momitze.
> > What`s your opinion about this ?
> > Your, Eugen Rau
>
> Dansk Etymologisk Ordbog
> (I should use a German one but I don't have one)
> 'mumme v. (old) "mumble, disguise", see mumle [which has no explanation for the "disguise" sense], cf formumme.
> ...
> formumme, older Modern Danish id., borrowed through German vermummen "disguise" from Low German; see mumme.'
>
> cf. mummespil "hypocritical procedure"
> http://tinyurl.com/obbbsj
>
> 'Mum' of 'keeping mum' "keeping silent" Skeat claims to be onomatopoiec; I'm not so sure. He also has
> mummer, a masker, buffoon. (F = Du)
> O.French mommeur 'a mumme, one that goes a-mummimg; Cot. = O.Du. mommen, to go a-mumming; cf mom-aensicht, a mommer's mask; Low G. mumme, a mask. The word is imitative, from the sound mum or mom, usrd by nurses to frighten or amuse children, at the same time pretending to cover their faces. Cf. G. mummel, a bug-bear. Der. mummery, O.French mommerie.
>
> mump, to mumble, sulk, beg. (Du.)
> A mumper was a cat term for a beggar. = D. mompen, to mump, cheat (Sewel); cf. mommelen, mompelen, to mumble (Hexham). This mump is merely an emphatic form of mum, O.Du. mommen, to say mum, also to mask. Cf. Goth. bi-mampjan, to deride; likewise of imitative origin.'
>
> Skeat's 'imitative' I don't believe, but the distribution is interesting.
>
>
> Torsten