[ANSTHRLD] November 2001 ILoI comments

[Jennifer Smith]

On 11 Dec 2001 at 10:57, Daniel wrote:
> Gunnora / "Christie Ward" <val_org at hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Magnus commented:
> > >3) Elin the Timid (Steppes)
> > >[Name] We need OED documentation for Timid.  No documentation is
> > >given here that the word is period.
> >
> > Actually, the Webster's Collegiate online says:
> ...
> > Date: 1549
>
> That's too late to be an authentic source of an English descriptive
> byname -- I believe that last names were hereditary by then.  However,
> I think it's registerable.

About where does the 'too late' cutoff line lie?  The Middle English
Dictionary at UMich has "timorous" dated as early as 1425.
The URL is below, but you have to have the magic login and
password from
http://www.press.umich.edu/webhome/mec/individual.html
to view the pages right now.

http://ets.umdl.umich.edu/cgi/m/mec/med-
idx?type=byte&byte=207161552&egdisplay=open&egs=207163819

-Emma
--
Jennifer Smith
jds at randomgang.com