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Pisces 21: A Little White Lamb, A Child, and A Chinese Servant

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Pisces 21: A little white lamb, a child, and a Chinese servant

T h e w o r d l i t t l e d e sc e n d s f r o m t h e O l d E n g l i s h lyt e l m e a n i n g l i t t l e , f e w a n d u l t i m a t e l y f r o m t he P r o t o - I n d o E u r o p e a n l eu d m e a n i n g s m a l l . 1 T h e w o r d w hi t e d e s c e n d s f r o m t he I n d o E u r o p e a n ( I E ) r o o t k w ei t - w h i c h m e a n s w h i t e , t o s h i n e . 2 P a r o n y m s i n c l u d e wh e a t ,

b i s m u t h, e de l we i s s , wh i ti n g ( a f o o d f i s h ) ,
a n d wi t l o o f. T h e w o r d l a mb d e sc e n d s f r o m t h e P r e G e r m a n i c l amb az , a s d o t h e O l d N o r s e , O l d F r i s i a n a n d G o t h i c l a m b , a n d t he M i d d l e H i g h G e r m a n l a mp . 3 T h e w o r d c hi ld d e sc e n d s f r o m t h e O l d E n g l i s h c i ld m e a n i n g c h i l d, i n f a n t a n d m o r e re m o t e l y f r o m t he Go t h i c ki lp ei m e a n i n g w o m b a n d t h e D a n i s h ku ld me a n i n g c h i l d r e n o f t h e s a me m a r r i a ge . 4 T h e e a r l i e s t E u r o p e a n u sa g e o f t he wo r d C hi n ese i s i n I t a l i a n , b y M a r c o P o l o . 5 I t i s b e l i e v e d t ha t t h i s c om e s f r o m t h e Qi n dy n a s t y w h i c h ruled much of what is now modern -day China in the 3rd century BC. The L a t i n i z e d f o r m o f t h e w o r d i s Si n a a n d h e n c e t he w o r d s C h i n a , C h i ne s e ,

s i n o l o gi st , e t c.
T h e w o r d s e r va nt m e a n s "t o r e n d e r ha b i t ua l o b e d i e n c e t o " a n d i t d e s c e n d s f r o m t he O l d F r e n c h s er vi r (t o s e r v e ) , t h e L a t i n s e rvi r e ( t o s e r v e , t o b e a s l a v e ) a n d t h e L a t i n s ervus ( s l a v e ) . 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=little Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Diction ary of Indo European Roots, p. 45 http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lamb http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=child http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=china http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=serve Starling Hunter 2011 1

TH EMES : On e o f t he n a me s o f C h in a i s t h e M i d d l e K i n g do m , t h u s o n e w a y o f r e a d i n g t he a b o v e s y m b o l s i s a l i t t l e c h i l d , a w hi t e l a mb , a n d a s e r v a n t o f t h e M i dd l e K i n g d o m . I f we c h o o s e t o r e a d i t t h i s w a y t he n a d d e d t o t h e a b o v e a r e t w o r o o t s medh yo - , w h i c h m e a n s m i d d l e a n d g e ne - w h i c h m e a n s t o g i ve b i r t h , b e ge t . T he f o r m e r i s t h e r o o t o f m i d d l e , a w o r d wh o s e p a r o n y m s i n cl u d e i m m e di at e , m id , m i ddl e , mi ds t ,

a m i d , m ea n, m e da l, m e di a n , m e di u m, t h e p r e fi x m e s o -, a n d t h e n a me M i l an .
7

T h e l a t t e r i s t h e r o o t o f k i n g do m , a w o r d w h o s e p a r o n y m s

i n c l u d e ge n de r , gen e , ge n te e l, ge ne ric , ge ne s i s , gen e ra l, ge n e ro u s ,

ge n o t ype , ge n ea l o gy , ge n o ci de , ge n u ine , gen u s , ge n i us , ma l i gn , n at i ve , n a t i on , n at a l, n at ure , p ro ge n it o r , a n d p ro ge n y a m on g ma n y o t h e r s. 8


T a k e n t o g e t h e r t he m o s t o b vi o u s t he m e h e r e i s r e l i gi o us i n n a t u r e a n d s u g g e s t e d i n t h e a b o v e p h ot o t he b i r t h a n d NATI VIT Y o f a ch i ld - ki ng , p e r h a p s b o rn a m i ds t t h e li t t le p e o p le o f a ki n gdo m , w h o l o o k s a f t e r l a mbs ( l i t e r a l l y o r f i g u r a t i v e l y ) , w h o i s a gen t ee l s er va nt o f t h e na t io n o r

ki n g , a n d w h o i s c lo t h e d i n whi t e a s a s y m b o l o f h i s p u r i t y .

7 Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Roots, p. 52 8 Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Roots, p. 26 Starling Hunter 2011 2

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