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From: mcv@inter.NL.net (Miguel Carrasquer)
Subject: Re: Question on Romance lexicon
Message-ID: <Cz1sJ3.4DG@inter.NL.net>
Organization: NLnet
References: <39qt37$nce@fs7.ece.cmu.edu>
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 1994 10:45:02 GMT
Lines: 29

In article <39qt37$nce@fs7.ece.cmu.edu>,
Marcelo Bruno <bruno@ibis.ece.cmu.edu> wrote:
>
> I was wondering what the origin of the Portuguese word "ontem" (Eng 
> yesterday) is. It puzzles me that Port ontem is very different from
>
>It ieri
>Fr hier
>Sp ayer
>

My Portuguese dictionary says that it comes from Lat. `ad noctem',
without further explanation.  If this is true, it must derive from a
syncopated form (*an n'ctem ?), because the regular derivation would
be *anoite.

>
>  I would also appreciate some information on the origin of Port vermelho
>(Eng red) which again is distinct from Sp rojo or Fr rouge.
>

The normal Catalan word is 'vermell' (also `roig').  In English,
there's vermillion.  The word ultimately derives from Lat. vermis
"worm" (a red dye was mas made from a certain kind of insect).

-- 
Miguel Carrasquer         ____________________  ~~~
Amsterdam                [                  ||]~  
mcv@inter.NL.net         ce .sig n'est pas une .cig 
