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From: John Cowan <cowan@ccil.org>
Subject: Re: Etymology of Horseradish
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A nameless person at the U.S. House of Representatives asks:

> >> Can anyone tell me the etymology of the name for the food "horseradish"?

John Patrick Karl <karljp@mail.compassnet.com> replies:

> >Off the top of my head, I would say that "horse" is a pejorative prefix, i.e.,
> >"horseradish" is a "bad radish".  "radish" comes from Latin radix "root".

Steve Berlant <berlant@dynanet.com> adds:

> That the horseradish is a particularly pungent root which can render its eater
> "hoarse" might lead one to suspect that the horseradish may have originally
> been called the "hoarseradish"_ especially given the fact that one of the
> Middle English etymons of "hoarse", "hors", also happens to be the Middle and
> Old English etymon of "horse".

Almost.  In ME they were both "hors", but "hoarse" < OE "h\=as", whereas "horse"
< OE "hors".

I take "horse" to be indeed a pejorative prefix, which like many pejoratives also
suggests large size.  For example, the "horsechestnut" is a large (and inedible)
chestnut-like nut; "horseleeches" are large leeches (which perhaps, but not
necessarily, parasitize horses); "horse pills" are large pills, resembling those
administered to horses (with the implication that people have trouble swallowing
them).

-- 
John Cowan						cowan@ccil.org
			e'osai ko sarji la lojban
