OLD ARYAN WORDS 



in early Aryan thought is shown both by the 

 multitude of synonyms for the creature, and by 

 the frequency of similes, metaphors, and myths 

 in the Vedic hymns in which the cow plays a 

 part. In those days, moreover, which were 

 before the days' of " soft " or " hard " money 

 wealth was reckoned in cows, and cows were the 

 circulating medium, with sheep and pigs for 

 small change. Every one knows that Lat. pe- 

 cunia is derived from pecus, " a herd ; " the 

 same is true of pecu!ittm y "a man's private pro- 

 perty," from which we have obtained peculiarity, 

 or " that which especially pertains to an indi- 

 vidual." Pecus, Lith. pekus, Skr. and Zend 

 pa^u, " the animal that is tied or penned up," 

 reappears with the regular change in Goth.faihu y 

 Old Eng.feoh, modern Germ. Vieh ; in modern 

 English the word has become /<?<?, a " pecuniary 

 reward." In Irish we have bosluaiged^ " riches," 

 from bosluag y " a herd of cows." When you go 

 to a tavern to dine you pay your shot or scot 

 before leaving ; or you sometimes, perhaps, get 

 into a very ticklish situation, and still escape 

 scot-free. In Old Eng. sceat was " money," and 

 the Old Norse skattr and Goth, skatts had the 

 same meaning ; but the Irish scath means " a 

 herd," and Old Bulgarian skotu was one of the 

 many Aryan words for cow. Another of these 

 words in Skr. is rupa, whence are derived rupya, 

 " money," and the modern rupee of Bengal. 

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