24 June 2011

Etymology of "dude" - (revision 2 - 16 may 2014)

original entry, 24 June 2011

Old English 


ðeode: "people, nation" or "commoner"


[revision 1]

Example 1:
http://studybible.info/WestSaxon1175/Luke%2022:25-27

Luke 22:25-27 (West Saxon 1175 AD)


25 )Ða saide he heom kyninges wealded heore ðeode. And þa þe anweald ofer hyo hæbbeð synde fremfulle ge-nemnede 26 ac ne beo ge na swa. Ac ge-wurðe he swa swa gingre se ðe yldre ys be-tweox eow. And se forsteppend ys beo he swilce he þein syo. 27 Hwæðer ys yldre se ðe ðenað þe se þe sytt. witodlice se þe sit. Ic eom on eowren midlene swa swa se þe þenað. 
Luke 22:25-27 (KJV)
25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.
26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.
 
Example 2:  (update 1; november 2013)
[note the grammatical order in the second phrase is not identical to the sentence above it, likely due to the translator's affluence in Latin and carte blanche have resulted in the stylized translation and conjecture that any modern English speaker circa early 21st century can easily identify. I try a translation before it, which I think is more accurate. -mjb]
[[MJB TRANSLATION]  Erst he asked, who there people name were they hath of common. Him was answered, that hath Angle generation wherein. Then haveth he, "Rightly have said Angle hadst, for than they have angel-white hair, and such complexion that hath on heaven angel gathering been"] 
Eft he axode, hu ðære ðeode nama wære þe hi of comon. Him wæs geandwyrd, þæt hi Angle genemnode wæron. Þa cwæð he, "Rihtlice hi sind Angle gehatene, for ðan ðe hi engla wlite habbað, and swilcum gedafenað þæt hi on heofonum engla geferan beon." 
Again he [St. Gregory] asked what might be the name of the people from which they came. It was answered to him that they were named Angles. Then he said, "Rightly are they called Angles because they have the beauty of angels, and it is fitting that such as they should be angels' companions in heaven." 


/update 2, Example 3?


dawd (dɔːd) 

Definitions

noun

  1. a reverberating blow or punch
  2. a large, compact section of something that has been hit off that which it belongs to

dawd (dɔːd) 

Definitions

intransitive verb

  1. to totter or walk unsteadily

transitive verb

  1. to help (a person who is walking unsteadily) to walk
>> so the first one is Scots,
"a bawdy dawd makes a begging bairn time"

meaning imho, 'a boisterous hit makes a begging child patient', everything has a little truth I guess. As you can see by the first secondary definition, it means what was lopped-off, if i bawd your head off, it still belongs on your shoulders in any case.

The second definition I've not heard so much, but again imho, it looks somewhat corollary, if you're hit, you might walk oddly, as for the second secondary definition, i assume it's similar to when we say "to strike up a conversation", or "hit it off with someone". These are only guesses, but English is one of those languages. By the latter, if cognates to Dude, would garner some insult as are nouns-made-verbs wont to do.  




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