Message: "Re: Zieske (Low German? Meaning?"

This is a reply within a larger thread: view the whole thread

Re: Zieske (Low German? Meaning?

by Marc (picard)

2/3/2009, 5:24 PM

in reply to a message by Paul

You'll find the origin of Zieske at http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Zieske-family-history.ashx

Replies

- Paul (guest) +4

2/6/2009, 7:01 AM

Thanks for the information Marc

So, this relates to the name of a bird, not just any bird, one particular bird. Whilst i can understand a general reference to birds, resembling one type of bird seems less plausable?

Which brings us back to what is the meaning of the birds name SISKIN?

- picard +3

2/6/2009, 1:54 PM

European languages are replete with surnames based on various types of birds. In English, you have Crow, Hawk, Starling, Nightingale, Lark, Pi(d)geon, Sparrow, Sparrowhawk, etc. The problem is trying to determine which characteristics of these individual birds led to their being used as nicknames. Was it their quickness, color, pleasant song, annoying squawks, or what? So it is with siskin. Somebody obviously thought that somebody else looked or acted like one but I have no idea what was actually involved.

This message was edited 2/6/2009, 1:56 PM

- Paul (guest) +2

2/7/2009, 3:30 PM

Thank you Marc (or is it Picard?), i understand now

Now to complete the puzzle, i must search for the meaning of the birds name Siskin....

with regards...

- Jim Young (guest) +1

2/8/2009, 12:28 PM

My dictionary describes the siskin as "a yellowish green finch". Finch, Fink and Spink are all English surnames meaning "finch". With regard to meaning Paul Reaney writes "perhaps 'simpleton'".
As to the origin of the word siskin, my dictionary again, "German dialect sisschen; apparently Slavic". So we're back with the Slavs.

- Marc (picard)

2/8/2009, 2:16 PM

Klein's Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language has siskin coming from Dutch sijskijn, a diminutive of sijs which in turn is derived from Czech číž.

View Message

Replies