Re: Anglo-Saxon Plant-Name Survey


Peter Alaca wrote:
celia wrote: news:1144050859.780993.222660@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unidentified Plants

It was a long and winding road but with Grethe's help
I believe that I have identified 'Onred'

The AS did have a plant named 'Rede Cole'
but it was not the Red Cabbage, it was also known
as 'Raifort' and that translates as 'Horse Radish'
Why is the 'Horse Radish' so red ?
It isn't but the 'Radish' is.
Perhaps the expression 'red hot' for a taste is earlier
than supposed.

Is the Horse Radish hot or not?

The Horse Radish is Cochlearia armoricia.
It is very hot, rather similar in taste to the Radish,
Rapanus sativus. In Britain it is commonly used as a condiment
with meat, usually beef.

I there a possible relation with Onhréodan
or Hréod?
_Onhréodan_ [] sv/t2 3rd pres onhríedeþ
past onhréad/onhrudon ptp onhroden
to adorn (or onréodan redden?

_Hréod_ [] n (-es/-) reed, rush

The two words are very alike and the many spellings
don't help but if you look at the variations on 'Onred'
mentioned earlier it is 'red' not 'reed'.
Tha Radish,according to my dictionary of etymology comes
from the Old English 'raedic'. Grieve gives O.E. 'rude',rudo', and
'reod'
meaning 'ruddy' and adds the suggestion that it could be from the
sankrit ''rudhira' meaning 'blood'
The snag with the O.E. , and the reason why I didn't
bet on 'Onred' being 'Radish' rather than 'Horse Radish'
is that the Radish wasn't supposed to have been
introduced to Britain before the mid 16th c.
Personally I think the emphasis on the colour
red indicates that the plant Onred was Raphanus sativus.
If it was known earlier in Germany I see no reason
why it shouldn't have been introduced to Britain.

An equally convoluted line of thought on 'Dyninge'
Peter correctly said that 'dyninge' means something
like 'of the mountains' and from this we supposed that
we were looking for a typical mountain plant.
Although many plants have a mountain habitat
no one plant leaps to mind as being 'the' plant
associated with mountains.
Old English spelling wasn't consistant and many
nationalities were adding words to the language.
As a non linguist I know I'm treading on dangerous
ground here but how about the Swedish 'dynga',
the Danish 'dynge' or the Icelandish 'dyngja' for
'muck heap' (The Old English 'dung or 'dyngian'.)

See below

From the mountain to the muck heap, the dun
to the dunny in a single leap but it really does help.
There is only one plant that characterises muck heaps.
the White Goose Foot commonly known as
Midden Miles and Dirty Dick (Chenopdium album)
A valuable pot herb.

_Dyngian_ is a verb, meaning to dung, defecate, manure.
Then you have a laxative, but there is also
_Dyncge_ f (-an/-an) dung, manure, litter; manured land,
fallow land [dung].
Then Goos Foot and the like is a possibility.

--
p.a.

Thanks, I knew I was taking a risk making the suggestion
and just working from a dictionary.

Celia

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Anglo-Saxon Plant-Name Survey
    ... The AS did have a plant named 'Rede Cole' ... as 'Raifort' and that translates as 'Horse Radish' ... associated with mountains. ... the White Goose Foot commonly known as ...
    (soc.history.medieval)
  • Re: Anglo-Saxon Plant-Name Survey
    ... The AS did have a plant named 'Rede Cole' ... as 'Raifort' and that translates as 'Horse Radish' ... Peter correctly said that 'dyninge' means something ... associated with mountains. ...
    (soc.history.medieval)