Message: "Re: Æðelind: "linde" or "lindi"?"

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[Facts] Re: Æðelind: "linde" or "lindi"?

by elbowin

4/10/2018, 3:18 AM

Both name elements are essentially the same, they only apply to different dialects (Ancient Germanic and Anglo-Saxon). BTW, I disagree with the meaning snake, it is true that a #Lindwurm# is a kind of dragon, but the snake meaning comes from the #wurm# "worm" part of the compound. The basic meaning of the element LIND is something like "flexible", the other meanings are derived from that (lime wood is a flexible type of wood used for making shields, the serpent moves flexibilly, and softness is also a kind of flexiblibility).

-- elbowin

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- thegriffon +1

4/10/2018, 4:24 AM

Lind occurs separately as "snake" in OHG and the equivalent linnr in Icelandic, but its masculine not feminine and may just be a substantive use of the adjective. I agree that the core sense is "flexible, lithe", but the derived senses of "soft", "mild" and "sweet" are widespread in the Germanic languages and even the tentatively related non-Germanic words (e.g. Latin lens-, lent-).

- Musaraigne (guest)

4/10/2018, 9:45 AM

Thank you so much for the fascinating and very informative responses! This really clears it up.

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