Gregory's ServerThe word for "shadow" in different languages.
The English distinction between "shadow" and "shade" (cast a shadow, sit in the shade) seems to be quite uncommon in other languages - certainly doesn't exist in Norwegian.
I assume the Romani word should also be green, but I can't find a source for this.
The Finnish word is apparently related to Norwegian "verja" = "to protect" - how did this change in meaning come about, I wonder?
#language #languages #linguistics #etymologidag
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8 comments
@oysteib @Tabularius There's the same semantic shift in Swedish. To be "i någots skygd" is to be 'under the protection of something'. But "skygd" (which is a rare word in modern usage) has the same root as "skugga" ('shade/shadow') and originally meant something 'shaded' (from the verb "skygga", 'to shade something'). I don't know if Norwegian is similar. @strutsulf @Tabularius We have 'beskyttelse', probably via Low German, but I never considered there might be a connection to 'skygge'! @oysteib @Tabularius In Swedish, there's the old-fashioned "skygd" and the perfectly current "skydd" (meaning 'protection'). I would have thought they were related, but apparently not. According to SAOB (the Swedish Academy Historical Dictionary, the Swedish equivalent of OED), "skydd" is a loan from Low German (just like "beskyttelse"), while "skygd" is a Norse word. Language is continually strange. @Tabularius @oysteib Also in Irish. Scáth (shade or shadow) can also mean covering or protection. https://www.teanglann.ie/en/fgb/sc%c3%a1th |
@oysteib Varjo = shadow, but also varjo in the sense of umbrella & parasol, parachute etc. Varjella = to protect (verb).
In all baltic finnish languages.
More https://kaino.kotus.fi/ses/?p=qs-article&etym_id=ETYM_ebc2408f1c2f46407c6cac40226b5cbe&list_id=1&keyword=Varjo&word=varjo