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