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E 0290 EHAFT , ECHT
The Old Saxon words " ehaft "
and " echt " are of Germanic origin .
H 0024 א ך ,
א כ ן
Concept of root: certainly
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Hebrew word
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pronunciation
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English meanings
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א ך , א
כ ן
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akh , akhen
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yes,
sure, anyhow
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Related English words
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Old Saxon : ehaft, echt
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Comparison between European words and
Hebrew
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Languages
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Words
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Pronunciation
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English meanings
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Similarity in roots
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Hebrew
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א ך , א
כ ן
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akh , akhen
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yes, sure, anyhow
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a kh
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Old Saxon
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ehaft;
echt
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lawful;
real, genuine
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e h . (ft) ;
e ch (t)
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German
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echt
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čkht
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real, genuine
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e kh (t)
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Norwegian
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ekte
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čkte
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real, genuine
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e k (t)
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Dutch
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echt ;
-
echter
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čkht ;
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čkhter
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really, certain ;
yet, also,
anyhow
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e kh (t)
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Hebrew *AKH --- *EKHT < *EKH Proto-Germanic < *EKH Indo-European
It is thought that the German and Dutch words "echt" would be contractions of older "ehaft" that meant "lawful". The applications of "echt" already in Middle Dutch are many more though , and "lawful" is not among them, besides perhaps in the case in which a "marriage" is also called an "echt". Besides this, it would be hard to understand why an existing " F " in "ehaft", so late in development would become, or else return to be, a " KH ".
That the " K " is real and original is confirmed in the Norwegian word "ekte". The final " T " is a typically Germanic suffix, frequently added without influencing the meaning of a word.
Note:
- Old Saxon gives a strong indication. It has both the word "ehaft = lawful" and "echt = real, genuine". This makes it hard to sustain that "echt" is a contraction of "ehaft". Obviously also the existing idea that High German would have loaned the word "echt" from Middle Dutch, is little convincing.
Note:
- Proto-Germanic. A hypothesis is not too difficult to make notwithstanding the difference in view regarding the origin. Important is further to note that Middle Dutch besides "echt" also used a version with an initial "H", a not uncommon phenomenon, but that is hard to bring in line with a contracted version as mostly supposed. There, with also Norwegian "ekte", Swedish "äkta", Old Saxon "echt" and Middle Low German "echt", besides High German "echt", a Proto-Germanic "E KH T" is quite possible .
Note:
- Proto-Semitic. A hypothesis is difficult to make on account of lack of information. The same root found in Hebrew may have been present also in Proto-Semitic, but we must refrain from a hypothesis in that sense.
Note:
- Indo-European. With only a not generally accepted Proto-Germanic "EKHT", assuming the " T " is a rather common Germanic athroistic affix, an Indo-European "E KH- is possible, though one should like to have more confirming information.
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| Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 21/12/2012 at 10.57.58 |
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