228 ON ERRATA RECEPTA. 



Dictionaries (e.g. iu Ogilvie's and "Worcester's), as from the French 

 and German. These terms, hovrever, have descended to us from 

 the Anglo-Saxon, also. In Bosworth we have healsbeorga, defence 

 for the neck. [^Flalter, through the French halterel, is likevi'ise from 

 hals, the neck.] — Arquebus is the German haken-buchse, i.e. a buchse 

 or gun fired from a crotch or rest, haJcen. The Italians have made 

 of this word arcobugio, as if it were a perforated cross-bow {bugio 

 perforated) ; whence the suggestion, ingenious but baseless, of a 

 French etymologist, arc-h-buse, bow with a tube. — "VYe, iu our Eng- 

 lish way, have persuaded ourselves that the Low German donderbus 

 (thunderguu), is blunderbus. Howitzer is haubitse, and halberd, kel- 

 lebarde. — Truce is the Old German triuwa. It has in it the word 

 true, and expresses a foedus or faithful compact between belligerents. 

 It was Latinized into treuga, where the g is made to represent w, 

 Fife is the German pfeife, as flute is fl'dte. Finally, the phrases 

 *to ask quarter,' 'to give quarter' are said to have originated in an 

 understanding between the Netherlanders and Spaniards, to the 

 effect that the life-ransom of a soldier, of whatever rank, should bo a 

 quarter of his year's pay, 



7. In connexion with ships — we have sJcipper, which is the Low 

 German schipper (H. G. schiffer), and the Anglo-Saxon scipere, 

 sailor. Bowsprit is L. G. boegspriet, the spar which sprouts from the 

 bow. (^Spritsail is a sail sustained by a sprit.) Starboard is H. G. 

 steuerbord, the direction in which, with reference to the steersman, 

 is the helm ; larboard, is probably babord, i.e. L. G. bakboord, the 

 direction in which, in the same relation, is the ship's side. Bunting 

 is from H. G. bunt, variegated in colour. Literally, therefore, it is 

 the material out of which the ship's colours are made. Orlop is 

 L. G. overloop ; sheets are L. G. schooten, and sheaves II. G. schei- 

 hen ; tar is H. G. theer, and pitch is H. G. pech. To belay is H. G. 

 helegen. We have Anglicised into windlass the L. G. wind-as, which 

 is the H. G. winde-achse, the axis or axle for winding the cable on. 

 — Sloop is the L. G. sloep, and schooner the H. G. schoner. Yawl 

 is the L. G.jol, which gives \x^ jolly-boat also. Smack is the H. G. 

 schmact ; hoy is the H. G. heu. Yacht is the H. G. jadht (and 

 Danish jaht), from jagen, to hunt or ride quickly. It is properly a 

 boat towed by horses. A vessel is said to be crank, when liable to 

 upset from being too narrow, or from not being sufficiently ballasted. 

 This is the H. G. krank, properly sick, out of sorts. [Binnacle, 



