E 0879          (TO)  STRETCH ,  RECCAN

The verbs " to strech" and Old English " reccan " are of Germanic origin .

H 0826             ע ק ר

Concept of root : to stretch out

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ע ק ר

raq‛à

to stretch out

Related English words

to stretch, Old English reccan, streccan

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

      ע ק ר

raq‛à

to stretch out

r . q (‛) .

Gothic

(uf)rakjan

(uf)rakyan

to stretch (out), (up)

r . k y

Old English

recc(e)an ;

strecc(e)an

to stretch (out)

r . c .

English

to stretch

to stretch

st r . tch

Old High German

recchen

rèkkhen

to stretch (out)

r . c ch

German

recken ;

strecken

rèkken ; shtrèkken

to stretch (out)

r . k ;

st r , k

Dutch

rekken ; strekken

rèkken ;

strèkken

to stretch (out)

r . k ;

st r . k

 

 

Proto-Semitic *RAQ‛À --- *REIG- Indo-European

 

 

Stretching out something is a central meaning of this root, that anyhow has as essential element of action, with a certain force or energy. This goes for both the Hebrew and the Dutch root. The Hebrew verb is frequently, but far from only, used to indicate the flattening ( hammering out) of metal, like gold.

 

Both are then used for several related meanings, especially in modern language. The same goes for some Germanic sisterwords.

 

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic . This root is present in Phoenician "מ ר ק ע, = gold laminate". Syriac "ר ק ע , req‛à = he spread out" and Aramaic "א ר ק ע , areq‛à" also says "he spread out". Arabic "raqa‛a = he spread out", also said for things that must be repaired, like pieces of cloth. Then Arabic "ruq‛à" says "patch, piece of cloth, stretch of land".

     

    It is important to note the use of a prefix Aleph that is fully neutral, does not influence the meaning of the root it is used with.

     

    This root probably was used in Proto-Semitic: "*ר ק ע , R Q Ayin".

 

Note:
  • Latin "regere", mentioned in entry E 0720 (Hebrew 0798), has no relation to this root at all, contrary to what some think. The similarities with Hebrew roots make this even clearer. Besides this, the concept of "regere", that is "to rule", has nothing to do with that of "to stretch out".

     

    This kind of misunderstanding is quite understandable if one sees that in Middle Dutch there are two identical verbs "recken", of which one indeed says "to govern, rule" and the other "to stretch, tend, stretch oneself".

 

Note:
  • English has not fully abandoned this root. It uses "to stretch (out)", that is an alteration from Old English "streccan" via Middle English "strecchen". These words have the same root seen in this entry, but with a double prefix ST. They have their direct sisters in German "strecken" and Dutch "strekken". Both "rekken" and "strekken" are also present in the Nordic tongues. Finally there is also the root that has just the prefix "T", found in Dutch "trekken = to draw", as well as in Nordic, where "trekke" has to share the field with the other verb "dra" ( = "draw" ).

     

    It is uncertain if the verb "to reach" and its sisters in other languages are of a different root with a specific different meaning. See also entry E 0716 (Hebrew 0066) .

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic It is useful to consider together this entry and number E 0716 (Hebrew 0066) . The words of these two entries may well be related in origin. Later, and especially in Proto-Germanic, there probably existed two rather similar roots with different meanings . The two versions were : "*R E K-" as in Middle Dutch "recken" with the meanings of "to stretch (out)" and "to tend". This is also found in Old English "reccan" and Old High German "recchen", all with a short vowel. "*R EI K-" as in Middle Dutch "reiken" with the meanings of "to reach" and neatly related "to hand to". This is also seen in Old English "ræcan" and Old High German "reihhen, reichen" all with a long vowel. But later in some languages, and specifically in the use of Old English "ræcan" and Middle Dutch "reiken" the meaning of "to stretch (out)" was also expressed with the long vowels, creating some confusion. Furthermore we find in this entry E 0879 (Hebrew 0826) diversifications by adding a prefix "ST" .

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. An existing hypothesis is "*reiĕg-", that we would amend only slightly: "*R EI G-". The information outside Germanic is as follows.

     

    Old Indian in riyati = he stretches (himself)" has changed a " G " that was related to " K " into a " Y ".

     

    Celtic offers an Old Irish rigid = he stretches.

     

    Baltic with a hypothesis of "*reizj-, rīzj" has a Latvian "ruozīties = to stretch oneself", in which according to common rules the " G/K "has become " Z ". Lithuanian has razjaus.

     

    Greek "ορεγω, orego = to stretch, reach" has added an initial vowel " O " to an existing root, without changing the meaning.

 

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 26/11/2012 at 18.02.28