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From:
Anthony Norman Morgan <[log in to unmask]>
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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:25:27 +0200
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Peter Borst wrote:-
Another term that I would be curious about is "eke". Was it a noun or a verb first?

See:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eke

Most definitions here are for the verb but near the bottom there is a noun (without date)
"Shipbuilding: A lengthening or filling piece to make good a deficiency in length."
One can see where the beekeeping term *might* have come from!

I'm not knowledgeable enough in the ancient Scandinavian languages but the modern (well used) equivalent of the verb "eke" in norwegian is "øke" (if the character doesn't reproduce properly for you it is an o with a / through it), which would seem to indicate a common root from way back. If one then thinks vikings=wooden ships then the existence of a noun seems probable.

The term viking is still in common use and doesn't mean quite what most people think - if you live in a place whose name ends in -vik meaning a bay or creek then you are a -viking eg. place = Hommelvik, inhabitant = Hommelviking. Place names ending in vik are very common in the norwegian fjords.

Cheers
Tony in Norway





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