The

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carr ...

''-lock'' in Modern English survives only in '' wedlock'' and '' bridelock''. It descends from

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...

''-lác'' which was more productive, carrying a meaning of "action or proceeding, state of being, practice,

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...

". As a noun, Old English ''lác'' means "play, sport", deriving from an earlier meaning of "sacrificial ritual or hymn" (Proto-Germanic ''*laikaz''). A putative term for a "hymn to the gods" (''* ansu-laikaz'') in early

Germanic paganism Germanic paganism or Germanic religion refers to the traditional, culturally significant religion of the Germanic peoples. With a chronological range of at least one thousand years in an area covering Scandinavia, the British Isles, modern Germ ...

is attested only as a personal name,

Oslac Óslác is a theophoric Anglo-Saxon given name, cognate to Old Norse ''Ásleikr''/''Áslákr'' (Latinised ''Ansleicus'', modern Scandinavian ''Aslak'') and to Old High German ''Ansleh'' (''Anslech'', ''Ansleccus''). It is composed of '' ós'' "god" ...

Suffix

The Old English nouns in ''-lác'' include ''brýdlác'' "nuptials" (from the now obsolete ''bridelock''), ''beadolác'', ''feohtlác'' and ''heaðolác'' "warfare", ''hǽmedlác'' and ''wiflác'' "

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal pene ...

", ''réaflác'' "robbery", ''wítelác'' "punishment", ''wróhtlác'' "calumny" besides the ''wedlác'' "pledge-giving", also "nuptials" ancestral to ''wedlock''. A few compounds appear only in

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old Englis ...

, thus ''dweomerlak'' "occult practice, magic", ''ferlac'' "terror", ''shendlac'' "disgrace", ''treulac'' "faithfulness", ''wohlac'' "wooing", all of them extinct by the onset of

Early Modern English Early Modern English or Early New English (sometimes abbreviated EModE, EMnE, or ENE) is the stage of the English language from the beginning of the Tudor period to the English Interregnum and Restoration, or from the transition from Middle E ...

. The earliest words taking the ''-lác'' suffix were probably related to warfare, comparable to the ''-pleȝa'' ( -play) suffix found in "swordplay". The Old Norse counterpart is ''-leikr'', loaned into North Midlands Middle English as '' -laik'', in the

Ormulum The ''Ormulum'' or ''Orrmulum'' is a twelfth-century work of biblical exegesis, written by an Augustinian canon named Orm (or Ormin) and consisting of just under 19,000 lines of early Middle English verse. Because of the unique phonemic orth ...

appearing as ''-leȝȝe''. The suffix came to be used synonymously with ''-nesse'', forming abstract nouns, e.g. ''clænleȝȝe'' "cleanness".

Noun

The etymology of the suffix is the same as that of the noun ''lác'' 'play, sport,' but also 'sacrifice, offering,' corresponding to obsolete Modern English ''lake'' (dialectal ''laik'') 'sport, fun, glee, game,' cognate to Gothic ''laiks'' 'dance,' Old Norse ''leikr'' 'game, sport' (origin of English ''lark'' 'play, joke, folly') and Old High German ''leih'' 'play, song, melody.' Ultimately, the word descends from

Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic br ...

''*laikaz''. Old English ''lícian'' ('to please,' Modern English ''

like In English, the word ''like'' has a very flexible range of uses, ranging from conventional to non-standard. It can be used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, particle, conjunction, hedge, filler, and quotative. Uses Comparisons ' ...

'') is from the same root. In modern English, the noun has been reintroduced through the cognate Swedish ''lek'' as a specialist term referring to mating behavior. Thus, the suffix originates as a second member in nominal compounds, and referred to 'actions or proceedings, practice, ritual' identical with the noun ''

lác The suffix ''-lock'' in Modern English survives only in '' wedlock'' and '' bridelock''. It descends from Old English ''-lác'' which was more productive, carrying a meaning of "action or proceeding, state of being, practice, ritual". As a noun ...

'' 'play, sport, performance' (obsolete Modern English ''

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

'' 'fun, sport, glee,' obsolete or dialectal Modern German ''leich''). Only found in Old English is the meaning of '(religious) offering,

sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exis ...

human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, an authoritative/priestly figure or spirits of dead ancestors or as a retainer sacrifice, wherei ...

,' in ''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. ...

'' 1583f. of the Danes killed by

Grendel Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem '' Beowulf'' (700–1000). He is one of the poem's three antagonists (along with his mother and the dragon), all aligned in opposition against the protagonist Beowulf. Grendel is feared by ...

, in ''

Lambeth Homilies The Lambeth Homilies are a collection of homilies found in a manuscript (MS Lambeth 487) in Lambeth Palace Library, London. The collection contains seventeen sermons and is notable for being one of the latest examples of Old English, written as it ...

'' (ca. 1175) of the sacrifice of

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

. In the ''

Anglo-Saxon Gospel The Old English Bible translations are the partial translations of the Bible prepared in medieval England into the Old English language. The translations are from Latin texts, not the original languages. Many of these translations were in fact ...

'' (ca. 1000) in

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chi ...

8:4 for δωρον, denoting an offering according to

Mosaic law The Law of Moses ( he, תֹּורַת מֹשֶׁה ), also called the Mosaic Law, primarily refers to the Torah or the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The law revealed to Moses by God. Terminology The Law of Moses or Torah of Moses (Hebrew ...

. In the 13th century it appears to lose its religious connotations and denotes gifts more generally, of the offerings of the

Three Magi The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the G ...

(''

Ancrene Riwle ''Ancrene Wisse'' (also known as the ''Ancrene Riwle'' or ''Guide for Anchoresses'') is an anonymous monastic rule (or manual) for female anchoresses written in the early 13th century. The work consists of eight parts: divine service, keeping the ...

'' 152, ca. 1225), and in '' Genesis and Exodus'' (ca. 1225, 1798) of the gifts sent by

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ...

Esau Esau ''Ēsaû''; la, Hesau, Esau; ar, عِيسَوْ ''‘Īsaw''; meaning "hairy"Easton, M. ''Illustrated Bible Dictionary'', (, , 2006, p. 236 or "rough".Mandel, D. ''The Ultimate Who's Who in the Bible'', (.), 2007, p. 175 is the elder son o ...

. From the 14th century, under the influence of ''to lake'' 'to move quickly, to leap, to fight,' the noun comes to mean 'fun, sport' exclusively. In this meaning, it survives into the 19th century in North English dialect in the compound ''lake-lass'' 'female playmate.' The word is also a compound member in

given names A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

, in Sigelac, Hygelac and

. Oslac has Scandinavian and continental cognates, ''Asleikr'' and ''Ansleih''. Based on this, Koegel (1894) assumes that the term ''*ansu-laikaz'' may go back to Common Germanic times, denoting a ''Leich für die Götter'', a hymn, dance or play for the gods in early

. Grimm (s.v. ''Leich'') compares the meaning of Greek χορος, denoting first the ceremonial procession to the sacrifice, but also ritual dance and hymns pertaining to religious ritual. Hermann (1928) identifies as such ''*ansulaikaz'' the hymns sung by the Germans to their god of war mentioned by

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

and the victory songs of the Batavi mercenaries serving under

Gaius Julius Civilis Gaius Julius Civilis was the leader of the Batavian rebellion against the Romans in 69 AD. His nomen shows that he (or one of his male ancestors) was made a Roman citizen (and thus, the tribe a Roman vassal) by either Augustus or Caligula. Earl ...

after the victory over

Quintus Petillius Cerialis Quintus Petillius Cerialis Caesius Rufus ( AD 30 — after AD 83), otherwise known as Quintus Petillius Cerialis, was a Roman general and administrator who served in Britain during Boudica's rebellion and went on to participate in the civil wars a ...

in the

Batavian rebellion The Revolt of the Batavi took place in the Roman province of Germania Inferior between AD 69 and 70. It was an uprising against the Roman Empire started by the Batavi, a small but militarily powerful Germanic tribe that inhabited Batavia, on ...

of 69 AD, and also the 'abominable song' to

Wodan Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victor ...

sung by the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

at their victory celebration in 579. The sacrificial animal was a goat, around whose head the Lombards danced in a circle while singing their victory hymn. As their Christian prisoners refused to 'adore the goat,' they were all killed (Hermann presumes) as an offering to Wodan.

References

*''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...

'' *Grimm, ''

Deutsches Wörterbuch The ''Deutsches Wörterbuch'' (; "The German Dictionary"), abbreviated ''DWB'', is the largest and most comprehensive dictionary of the German language in existence.
{{DEFAULTSORT:-Lock English suffixes, Lock Laikaz

Suffix

Noun

See also

References