[Sca-cooks] Interesting period words

[Huette von Ahrens]

>Try Middle Dutch, "hokester."  However, the
>"estre" feminine suffix of Old English, seems to
>lose gender and be more generally applied later
>in Middle English.
>
>Bear

>So, what's the etymology for "huckster"?
>
>Anahita

I hate to disagree with you Bear, but the OED
doesn't entirely agree with you.  They do note
that there are Middle Dutch and Middle Low German
words similar but they say that in form "huck" is

may be the "base for 'huckster', but the
chronological evidence makes their actual
relations difficult to determine."  From what I
can see, the earliest usage of the word in MDu
and MLG comes after the earliest usage in OE.

The OED says that the oldest meaning of 
"huckster" is a retailer of small goods, in a
petty shop or booth or at a stall; a pedlar or
hawker.  The earlist word is found in 1200.  The
perjorative version starts in 1400.

Unfortunately, the words 'master' and 'monster',
while period, come from Latin roots.  Darn!  I
was wondering how an Old Englishwoman could
be making Japanese mons ...

Huette

=====
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they 
shall never cease to be amused.


		
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - You care about security. So do we.
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail