Re: 'caron' (was: Re: Re: Two questions about Esperanto

Ah, interesting. 'Hacek' looks quite understandable by
now.

Since 'caret' come from Latin 'care:re', as somebody
here already said, it seems difficult to conceive that
'caron' is of the same family. I can't see any "-on"
ending in Latin.

I have no good Greek dictionary at hand, but in my
small (Modern Greek) pocket one, I found:
- karfi = nail
- karfis = pin
- karfo:no: = I nail.

Looks not to far from "li'l hook', does it ? Seems
there is a "kar-" root in Greek, and perhaps "caron"
could be related to it ? (Pure speculation, of
course).

--- Tristan Mc Leay <kesuari@...> wrote:
>
> I highly doubt there's a relation to any -on suffix
> in English, which
> all seem to have to do with chemicals.  Anyway,
> 'macron' quite clearly
> comes from Greek, whereas 'caron' appears to be
> coined in English. I
> would believe, though, a modification of 'caret'
> (the upside-down vee in
> proofreading) based on 'macron'.
>
> > - Indo-European, same root as "crown" (krone,
> etc.) ?
> >
> > Anyway, what does 'hacek' mean ? OK, it means
> caron,
> > but I mean, etymologically ?
>
> Turning to dictionary.com, we discover that the AHD
> says:
> [Czech háček [a-acute, c-caron], diminutive of
> hák [a-acute], hook, from
> Middle High German hāken [a-macron], from Old High
> German hāko
> [a-macron]. See keg- in Indo-European Roots.]
>
> In turn,
> <http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE210.html> (the
> AHD page on
> Bartleby for the IE root *keg-) says it means 'hook,
> tooth' and lists
> 'hook' as a derivative.
>
> So it appears it means "li'l hook".
>

=====
Philippe Caquant

"High thoughts must have high language." (Aristophanes, Frogs)


		
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages!
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

Reply