Message: "Blasts from the past"

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Blasts from the past

by Pavlos (guest)

7/31/2002, 3:51 AM

in reply to a message by misty

http://www.behindthename.com/messages/21615.html\n\nhttp://www.behindthename.com/wwwboardarc/messages/11818.html\n

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- Satu (guest) +8

7/31/2002, 5:30 AM

Laken is the German word for linen, sheet :-)
Satu

- Lu (guest) +7

7/31/2002, 7:22 AM

I think you're mistaking German for Dutch here... because it means 'laken' is the Dutch word for 'sheet', and I believe the Germans have an other word for that, namely 'Bett-tuch'.

Regards,

- Satu (guest)

7/31/2002, 11:32 AM

Hi Lu,

in Germany the words

Laken
Bettlaken
Bettuch (old spelling)
Betttuch (new spelling)

are used for a sheet!

Regards,
Satu

- Pavlos (guest) +5

7/31/2002, 8:37 AM

Another approach (serioujs, this time) ... Mike C. pls advise!

The Oxford English Dictionary notes that "By our Laken" or "Byrlaken" is an now obsolete english expression meaning "by our Lady". "Laken" or "Lakin" are derived from "Lady + Kin".

The OED also quotes the following usage of the word:

More (Apol. iv. Wks. 849/2, 1533): "By our lakens brother husband... yet woulde I rather abyde the perill of breding wormes in my bely."

1610 Shakespeare (Temp. iii. iii. 1, 1610): "By'r lakin, I can goe no further, Sir, My old bones akes."

1616 [W. Haughton] (English-men for my Money C4, 16161): "Bir laken sirs, I thinks tis one a clocke."

Could the name Laken possibly be related to the above?

- Anneza (guest) +4

8/1/2002, 1:36 AM

Nice thought, but I doubt it somehow. Sounds more like an American generalisation: we are all ecofriendly bunnyhuggers; lakes are decorative parts of the natural environment; Lake sounds unfinished as a name; lots of names end in N, like Martin and Jane; let's turn Lake into a name by adding an N.
There was a brilliantly irate poster on a Babycenter poll recently who said: What if you have other children? Would they be Brooken, Creeken, Marshen, Streamen ...?

Laken is also (bed)sheet in Afrikaans, by the way. What would a small German sheet be - ein Lakenchen?

- Pavlos (guest) +3

8/1/2002, 5:02 AM

Lemme tell you how I feel about such names: I "laken" them! (from the Dutch verb "laken" meaning "to blame, despise, condemn" :P )

By the way, does Anneza mean "Little Anne" in Afrikaans?

- Laken (guest)

2/7/2004, 9:17 PM

Well My Name Is Laken And I'm From Louisiana And Well I Really Don't Know What To Say LOL! But Uh I Wanna Shout Out To My Friends!
~Brittany~ Your So So Kewl And Got A Great Fashion Sense!
~Rena~ Yur So Kewl!! And Ur A Great Tennis Player!
~Carmen~ Don't Give On On Ur Anime Stuff! It Totally Rox!!
~Terri~ Terri Dun Listen 2 Them Preps I Still Think Ur So Kewl!

- Anneza (guest) +1

8/2/2002, 1:11 AM

Ah lahk it!

Anneza is just Anne (my middle name) plus ZA, which is our international code - web addresses are .co.za, international car licence plates are ZA. Goes back to the merry days when our official languages were English and Dutch. Just a useful handle that even I can't forget ...

Anna - Afrikaans form - can have 2 diminutive forms in Afrikaans: Annie (sounds like Unnie) or Annetjie (sort-of Unnuhkey). (And Pavlos would look like Paul and sound like Pole.)

- Pavlos (guest)

8/2/2002, 4:47 AM

..that's so funny, I took it for granted that Anneza was a bona fide name (a wonderful one, to boot!), and had even included it in my database :P

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