Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83 (MC840302); site turing.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!mcvax!turing!aeb From: aeb@turing.UUCP Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: Origin of that strongest of words Message-ID: <213@turing.UUCP> Date: Fri, 19-Oct-84 01:10:05 EDT Article-I.D.: turing.213 Posted: Fri Oct 19 01:10:05 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 20-Oct-84 07:00:07 EDT References: <1559@uvacs.UUCP> <631@erix.UUCP> <705@sunybcs.UUCP> Organization: CWI, Amsterdam Lines: 43 Apparently-To: rnews@mcvax.LOCAL -- NEUKEN (NOOKIE) -- I am too lazy to make an extensive study, but since there have been several articles about the Dutch word 'neuken' and English dialect words in the same style, even connecting these to Arabic, let me at least show that these words belong to a good old IndoEuropean root (*kneu- or more generally *ken- (or *gen-)). A good start is the old English word hnocc 'penis', and this is the oldest word in this family I know of with a sexual connotation. But it is interesting to note that there is an extensive parallelism in the semantic development between the words in the *ken- and those in the *gen- family, and the latter also gently generated such general words as gene, genus and jaunty genitals of kind kin. [Note that IE *g becomes g in Latin and Greek and k in Germanic, while IE *k becomes c in Latin, k in Greek and h in Germanic, where usually the h disappears altogether.] The basic meaning of these roots is 'to bend, to press together'. In English one has neck and nook with -k- suffix (*knek-), nut with -d- suffix (*knud-). Hnocc derives from *kneug-, but we also have Celtic words derived from *kneuk- : OldIrish cnocc, OldBreton cnoch, Welsh cnwch 'hill', cnuch 'joint, coitus'. Words derived from *kneug- in Germanic: Dutch has nok 'ridge, stud, cam' (German Nocken, Swedish nock, Danish nok) and nuk 'freak, whim' (G. Nuecke, Sw. nyck, Da. nykke) and neuken. German and Austrian dialects have words like Nocke, Nokkerl 'little meat balls (in the soup)'. Sw. has nucka 'old spinster'. Da. dialect has nykke 'to push, pinch, jerk'. OldNorse: hnykkr 'jerk', hnykill 'tumour', hnuka 'to sit on one's heels', hnykkja 'to pull towards oneself', OSw. nykkja 'thrust'. Icel. hnokinn 'bent', hnukr 'hill top', hnokki 'little iron hook'. Shetl. nikk 'sudden pain', njukk 'push'. OldEnglish: gehnycled 'bent', hnocc 'penis'. The present discussion implies that the old English word didnt disappear from the language but survives in various dialects (both Scotland and Minnesota have been mentioned). The conclusion must be that the verb was derived from the noun, and that the noun got its meaning because of the bent nature of an erected penis. -- Andries Brouwer -- CWI, Amsterdam -- {philabs,decvax}!mcvax!aeb