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> Schmetterling may be semantically linked to butterfly via 'batter-fly' (beater-fly) No, it's semantically linked via 'butter'. Schmetterling comes from Schme
by ginko 9y ago
> Schmetterling may be semantically linked to butterfly via 'batter-fly' (beater-fly)
No, it's semantically linked via 'butter'. Schmetterling comes from Schmetten or Schmand which is a sort of heavy cream. There used to be a folk believe that butterflies would consume milk or butter if left uncovered. They were also sometimes called Milkdieb or milk-thief in German.
See: www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=butterfly
- throwanem 9y ago> Schmetten or Schmand which is a sort of heavy cream. Is "smetana" a false friend?
- MagnumOpus 9y agoThat is disputed. Most scholars say that germanic "schmand" has different roots and is cognate with English "smooth" - some scholars however consider schmand a very old loan word from proto-slavic smetana.
- pbhjpbhj 9y agohttps://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/27471/does-the-word-butterfly-stem-from-an-erroneous-transcription-of-flutterby https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/27471/does-the-... Adds a little too, looks like the idea of butterflies stealing butter may come from their voids looking like butter. I'd also like to imagine a story being made about them stealing butter to encourage children to cover the butter.
- singularity2001 9y agoInteresting. Butter + Schmetten/смета́на • (smetána) probably still come from beat:schmettern<>smith and or smeltan:smelt. Where do Schmeissfliege (blowfly) and Schmalz(molten fat) sit? ;)
- singularity2001 9y agoOr maybe not: βούτῡρον (boútūron, “cow cheese”), compound of βοῦς (boûs, “ox, cow”) and τῡρός (tūrós, “cheese”). tūrós <> Taurus = cow hmmm