Fwd: Smalls

[I. Marc Carlson]

<moondrgn at bga.com (Chris and Elisabeth Zakes)>
>...up words for the interface between the SCA and 20th century, but it seems
>silly to invent cutesy new words for things that were well-known in period.
>For example: "writing implement" for "pen" or "shrine of St. John" for
>"privy". As Don Robin once said, "these are *not* new concepts".

As long as I was at it...

Diarmuit
===========================
Pen
[OE. penn of uncertain origin: cf. pen v.1]
#1
          1.   a. A small enclosure for domestic animals, as cows,
               sheep, swine, or poultry; a fold, sty, coop, etc.
               (The OE. instances are of uncertain meaning.) (from
               957)
               b. transf. A number of animals in a pen, or
               sufficient to fill a pen. (from 1873)
               c. spec. A division in a sheep-shearing shed. Also,
               the work associated with a sheep-shearing pen.
               Austral. and N.Z. (from 1891)
          2.   a. Applied to various enclosures resembling these:
               see quotations. (from 1620)
               b. spec. in the West Indies: A farm, plantation,
               country house, or park. (Often spelt penn.) (from
               1740)
#2  [I screwed this one up, but essentially a pen is a term for
    a feather, from the Old French, and appears as such in English
    as early as 1377 (this is retained in the term "pen-feathers" or
    "pin-feathers").  As a writing tool, it appears by 1300, implying
    an even earlier undocumented use.  Note that Quill (appearing c1433)
    refers to the Tube, not the feather.]
#3             A female swan. (c1524)

Jakes
[Origin unascertained; it has been suggested to be from the proper
name Jaques, Jakes; or from Jakke, _Jack', quasi Jakkes, _Jack's'.
("Gakehouse" in 1438 Tintinhull Churchw. Acc. (Som. Rec. Soc.) p.
179, is an editorial misreading of "Bakehouse".)]
          1.   a. A privy. (from 1530)
[ME. prive, privy, etc., a. F. privé (12th c. in Littré) private,
tame; as n. in OF. a familiar friend, a private place:---L.
privatus: see private, a later doublet of the same word, directly
from L.; but in sense-development the two words do not run
parallel.]
A. adj.
     I.   1. That is of one's own private circle or companionship;
          intimate, familiar; = private
               a. 10. In later quots. with admixture of sense 4.
               Obs. (from 1225)
               b.  Of an animal: Familiar with man; domesticated,
               tame. Obs. rare. (from 1340)
               c. Sexually intimate. Obs. rare1. (from 1400)
          2. Of or pertaining exclusively to a particular person or
          persons; one's own; = private
               a. 5; of an attendant, etc., personal. Obs. exc. in
               privy chamber, council, counsellor, seal. (from
               1300)
               b. Peculiar to or characteristic of an individual
               or a race. Of language: idiomatic. Obs. rare. (from
               1387)
          3. Of or pertaining to a person in his private or
          personal capacity; not public or official; = private a.
          6. Obs. (from 1387)
          4. Participating in the knowledge of something secret or
          private; in the secret; privately cognizant or aware;
          intimately acquainted with or accessory to some secret
          transaction; = private
               a. 11 Const. to, _of, or _with clause. (from 1390)
               b. Possessing esoteric knowledge of; versed or
               skilled (in some subject). Obs. rare. (from 1390)
     II.  5. Withdrawn from public sight, knowledge, or use; kept
          secret or concealed; hidden; secluded. arch.
               a. Of material things. (c 1290)
               b. Of immaterial things. (Often opposed to apert,
               pert: see apert a. 1, pert a. 1.) (c1300)
          6. Acting or done in secret or by stealth; secret,
          clandestine, furtive, surreptitious, sly. (Often opposed
          to apert, pert.) arch. (from 1300)
          7. Of which the presence or existence is not known or not
          recognized; that is not outwardly evident; of which no
          indication is visible; hidden. (from 1548)
     III. In specific collocations with ns.
          8. privy evil (Falconry), a disease of the hawk: see
          quot. privy tithe, the "small" or vicarial tithe.... etc.
               b. privy coat, a coat of mail worn under the
               ordinary dress. Obs. (from 1532)
               c. privy house (also 5 privehouse) = B. 3. So _
               privy stool, a close-stool. Obs. (from 1460)
               d. privy members, privy parts, the external organs
               of sex; the private parts. Obs. or arch.  So
               formerly privy chose (of a female), limbs, etc.
               (from 1297)
          9. privy purse.
               a. The allowance from the public revenue for the
               private expenses of the monarch.
               b. (With capital initial.) Short for Keeper of the
               Privy Purse, an officer of the royal 

Close-stool
A chamber utensil enclosed in a stool or box. (from 1410)

Garderobe
Properly, a locked-up chamber in which articles of dress, stores,
etc. are kept, a store-room, armoury, wardrobe (occas. also the
contents of this); by extension, a private room, a bed-chamber;
also a privy. (from 1333)

According to the English-Old English/Old English-English Dictionary
(compl. Kember) the terms in OE are Gangpitt/Gangpittas and
Utgang/Utgangas.  (A pit you walk to, or "going out for a walk")