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in reply to a message by Satu
I must disagree with you: the root rig/rik/reg is well known. It gave rex in Latin, rig/rix in Gaulish Celt. It is also linked with right, rule, ride, roue (wheel in French), ruta, red (rood in Dutch, rouge in French, raja in Sanskrit etc.), rite... By definition, a king IS an advisor more than an allmighty ruler, a meaning the word acquired in Western Europe, much later. The word 'regin' is a derivative from the fonction.
As far as the Norse origin is concerned, once again I disagree: the names Erik(a) were in use among Germans long before contact with the Norse.
'erice", the Latin word, means 'arborescent heather', a plant quite different from the one most people think about (I have one in my garden and it grows 1m50 tall). It might be linked to 'erigere', to build, to erect, to give courage, or even to 'ericius', hedgehog, chevaux-de-frise. All of them, by the way, connected to the notion of erecting. This notion is to be found in words as varied as hero, erection, ehre etc. in which you are elected or distinguished because you STAND OUT, whether it is dued to inheritance, honnor or valor...
As far as the Norse origin is concerned, once again I disagree: the names Erik(a) were in use among Germans long before contact with the Norse.
'erice", the Latin word, means 'arborescent heather', a plant quite different from the one most people think about (I have one in my garden and it grows 1m50 tall). It might be linked to 'erigere', to build, to erect, to give courage, or even to 'ericius', hedgehog, chevaux-de-frise. All of them, by the way, connected to the notion of erecting. This notion is to be found in words as varied as hero, erection, ehre etc. in which you are elected or distinguished because you STAND OUT, whether it is dued to inheritance, honnor or valor...
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Replies
The Norse version of the name is Eiri:kr, which indeed has the elements ei "ever" from earlier aiwa- and ri:kr "ruler". ei might also be a contraction of aina- "alone, one". The Anglo Saxon version of the name is A:nri:c.
The root ri:k-, was originally a germanic borrowing from celtic ri:g- i.e. Vercingeto-ri:x (ri:g-s), which in turn was from proto-indoeuropean root re:g- whence Latin re:x (< re:g-s), and Sanskrit ra:j-. The "k" in ri:k-, was a result of the 1st Germanic Sound Shift.
It seems Erica is a feminisation of Eiri:kr, by adding the feminine weak declension marker -a to become Eiri:ka. As for the German, I'm sure it was a later borrowing from the Scandinavian languages. Although it is possible that in Germany, the elemant E:r- (< Air- meaning honour) was used, as in Erwin, Erhart.
The words for red, dutch rood are from a different root, germanic reud-/raud- which is from indoeuropean reudh-os/-ros whence latin ru:ber. French rouge is from Old French roge, from adjectival latin formation ru:beus.
The word ride comes from germanic ri:dan- and is not related to re:g-.
French roue is from latin ruta. Though I don't know what it's entymology is.
I don't know where ragina- ultimately comes from. In the germanic languages it has the following meanings:
Gothic ragin "opinion, law, decree, task"
Old Iceland regin "the gods", ragna-rok "fate of the gods"
Old English regn- "very" in compunds.
The word e:rigere is a contraction of ex-rig-ere, -rig- is weakened from reg-, which may (or may not!) be an ablaut form of re:g-. The word e:re:ctus is the past participle of e:rigere, whence the formation e:re:ctio:
The plant name eirike: is a latin borrowing from greek.
The root ri:k-, was originally a germanic borrowing from celtic ri:g- i.e. Vercingeto-ri:x (ri:g-s), which in turn was from proto-indoeuropean root re:g- whence Latin re:x (< re:g-s), and Sanskrit ra:j-. The "k" in ri:k-, was a result of the 1st Germanic Sound Shift.
It seems Erica is a feminisation of Eiri:kr, by adding the feminine weak declension marker -a to become Eiri:ka. As for the German, I'm sure it was a later borrowing from the Scandinavian languages. Although it is possible that in Germany, the elemant E:r- (< Air- meaning honour) was used, as in Erwin, Erhart.
The words for red, dutch rood are from a different root, germanic reud-/raud- which is from indoeuropean reudh-os/-ros whence latin ru:ber. French rouge is from Old French roge, from adjectival latin formation ru:beus.
The word ride comes from germanic ri:dan- and is not related to re:g-.
French roue is from latin ruta. Though I don't know what it's entymology is.
I don't know where ragina- ultimately comes from. In the germanic languages it has the following meanings:
Gothic ragin "opinion, law, decree, task"
Old Iceland regin "the gods", ragna-rok "fate of the gods"
Old English regn- "very" in compunds.
The word e:rigere is a contraction of ex-rig-ere, -rig- is weakened from reg-, which may (or may not!) be an ablaut form of re:g-. The word e:re:ctus is the past participle of e:rigere, whence the formation e:re:ctio:
The plant name eirike: is a latin borrowing from greek.
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