Re: Rabbits (was: Vocab #4)
| From: | Raymond Brown <ray.brown@...> |
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| Date: | Monday, April 22, 2002, 17:36 |
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At 5:02 pm -0400 21/4/02, John Cowan wrote:
>Raymond Brown scripsit:
>
>> etymologies of both 'rabbit' and 'lapin' are not known.
>
>m-w.com says that rabbit < ME rabet < MWalloon robett < MDu robe,
>but it only says "probably".
Yes, but even if "probably" proved to be "certainly", it wouldn't get us
any further than knowing a common word was floating around in Middle
English, Middle Dutch & Middle Walloon - presumably through trade contact.
What was the origin of the word?
Ray.
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