Sunday may be Sunda, comparing with an O.G. Sundo, and an A.S. Sunta,
perhaps from _sund_, sea. Similarly Munday may be Munda, to be referred,
along with Mundy, to _mund_, protection, and comparing with an O.G.
Mundo. The other four names ending in _day_ seem to represent ancient
compounds, and in what sense these were given it is difficult to say.
Friday corresponds with an O.G. Frittag and with an A.S. Frigedæg, p.
99, Holiday with an O.G. Halegdag, Loveday (Luiedai in Domesday) with an
O.G. Liopdag (_liub_, love), and Hockaday, with a present French Hocedé,
with an O.G. Hodag (_hoh_ or _hoch_, high). From the character of these
names, compounded with "high," "holy," "peace," and "love," they might
be supposed to have been given in a religious sense, and their date, the
ninth century, would be in conformity. The Anglo-Saxon name Frigedæg, it
will be observed, is from the same word as our "Friday," and not the
same as the Old German name, which is from _frid_, peace. But it seems
to me quite possible that the Anglo-Saxons, having received the name,
might mistake its meaning and spell it according to their own views.
This they seem to do in some other cases, as, for instance, the stem
_wit_, common to the Teutonic system, and rather probably from _wid_,
wood, they seem to take as from _wiht_, man, and spell it accordingly.
Summer and Winter are both ancient names; in the _Cod. Dip. Alamanniæ_
there are two brothers called respectively Sumar and Winter, A.D. 858.
Winter was also the name of one of the companions of Hereward the Saxon.
Pentecost I have elsewhere supposed, p. 120, to be a corruption of
Pentecast, as an ancient name. I rather doubt Lammas, which is found as
Lammasse in the _Hundred Rolls_, and which corresponds with a French
Lamas. Lamisso was the name of a Lombard king of the fifth century, and
was derived, according to an old chronicler, from _lama_, water, because
in his youth the king had been rescued from drowning--a derivation which
may perhaps be regarded with some suspicion. Taking Lammas then as the
representative of an ancient name, we might get from it our name
Lamaison (ending in _en_, p. 27), though if Lammas were from the
diminutive ending is, _es_, p. 32, it could not take a German _en_ in
addition; in this case the ending must be Romanic, which, from the
French form of the name, seems very possible. As to the name January, I
am inclined to look upon it as a corruption of another name, Jennery,
which, along with Jenner, I take to be the same as the Old German names
Genear and Ginheri, from, as supposed, _gan_, magic or fascination.
_Names apparently from Parts of the Body._
HEAD, BODY, ARMS, LEGG, LEGGY, LEGLESS, FINGER, HEART, EARHEART, SIDE,
BACK, ELBOW, FOOTE, TONGUE. (LAWLESS, BOOKLESS, FAIRLESS, RECKLESS),
FAIRFOOT, TRUEFITT.
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