Talk:freckle

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Latest comment: 15 years ago by DCDuring in topic Etymology
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Etymology[edit]

In the source I qouted Onl. Et. Dict. claims that (deprecated template usage) freknur are Old Norse. However, I recently discovered that Ordbog over det danske sprog (which I appreciate more) lists (deprecated template usage) frekna as Icelandic (and only freknóttr as Old Norse), which may mean that the use as an independent noun probably was not still incipient in the Old Norse period. Therefore, given that according to MW frickles is first used in the 14th century, (the Old Norse period end at the begining of the 13th century), I opted for the authentic Old Norse word, wherefrom Ic. (deprecated template usage) frekna and Dan. (deprecated template usage) fregne stem. Whether freckle stems from Ic. (deprecated template usage) frekna or directly from ON., I opine that the chosen form encompasses both possibilities. Bogorm 20:30, 13 January 2009 (UTC)Reply

If you have good Old Norse sources, then go for it. The Icelandic and other cognates seem much less useful. Personally I would rather that we had Old Norse entries with the cognates appearing there as "Descendants" if indeed they are. DCDuring Holiday Greetings! 23:18, 13 January 2009 (UTC)Reply