Re: P.Gmc. *skakula-

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "The Egyptian Chronicles" <the_egyptian_chronicles@...> wrote:

>
> [...]
>
> (1) shackle (n.) O.E. sceacel, from P.Gmc. *skakula- (cf. M.Du., Du. schakel
> "link of a chain," O.N. skökull "pole of a carriage"), of uncertain origin.
> The common notion of "something to fasten or attach" makes a connection with
> shake unlikely. The verb is first recorded mid-15c. Related: Shackled;
> shackling.
>
>
> sceacel, es; m. I. a shackle :-- Sceacul vel bend columbar, Wrt. Voc. i. 16,
> 44. II. the word also glosses plectrum :-- Scecele oððe slegele scecen wé
> plectra plumemus, ii. 66, 78-80. Sceacelas plectra, 89, 10. [Prompt. Parv.
> schakkyl numella. Ancren schulen ine so wide scheakeles pleien ine hevuene .
> . . Þet tet bodi schal beon hwar so euer þe gost wule in one hondhwule, A.
> R. 94, 25. O. Du. schakel the link or ring of a chain: Icel. skökull the
> pole of a carriage: Swed. skakel the loose shaft of a carriage: Dan. skagle
> a trace for a carriage.] v. sweor-sceacel; sceacan.

These look like etymologically distinct words. A plectrum moves back and forth, so OE <sceacel> in that sense could easily be related to <sceacan> 'to shake'. The only plausible comparandum I have seen is Skt. <khajati> 'agitates, churns' which would imply a PIE root *(s)kh3eg-.

For OE <sceacel> 'shackle, fetter' we should probably compare ON <skakkr> 'limping' and Grk. <skazo:> 'I limp' (from *skag-jo:). A shackle allows prisoners or animals to limp, but not move fast enough to get away. These look like zero-grade derivatives for which the PIE root has eight formal possibilities, concisely lumped as *sk(^)eh2/4g(^)-.

I see no principled way of connecting this with your Arabic word, either through borrowing or long-range inheritance.

DGK