Re: Pseudo-cognates?

Dusan Vukotic napisał:
Paul J Kriha wrote:


A Czech word "c^erstve'" (fresh) has an etymologically related
and sililarly sounding word in Polish meaning rotten, spoiled.
That should qualify. :-)

pjk

Polish 'zepsuty' (rotten, spoiled; Serb. 'zapahnuti').
It does not seem
to be similar to 'cerstve' (new, fresh, Polish 'nowy' new, fresh;
Serb. 'krepak' fresh). May be there is another polish word for rotten
(Czech. shnilý rotten; interesting, from 'hniloba' rottenness: Serb.
gnjilo rotten); vielleicht 'cervotoc', 'cervivý' wormy; Serbian
'crvati' infest; 'crv' vorm)


'Rotten, spoiled' is even rather "zgniły" ("zepsuty" has more general meaning - 'broken, not working, rotten').
Polish "czerstwy" when referred to bread means 'stale', which is connected with drying, while 'rotten' is rather connected with moisture.
But when referred to a human (in such phrases as "czerstwy staruszek", "czerstwa skóra" it remains its old meaning - 'healthy old man', 'healthy, though weathered, skin'). The last phrase preserves the medium stage - "czerstwa skóra" is dried, but healthy, good, "czerstwy chleb" is dried, so bad. But these phrases are rather archaic. You'd hear "zdrowy staruszek", "zdrowa skóra" more frequently than "czerstwy ..." Actually, "czerstwy chleb" is not as archaic as above phrases, but you can also more frequently hear just "zeschły chleb" 'dried bread'.

DV


pzdr
piotrek
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Pseudo-cognates?
    ... Polish 'zepsuty' (rotten, spoiled; Serb. ... shnilý rotten; interesting, from 'hniloba' rottenness: ... as Serbian 'čvrst'; ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Pseudo-cognates?
    ... Polish 'zepsuty' (rotten, spoiled; Serb. ... to be similar to 'cerstve' (new, fresh, Polish 'nowy' new, fresh; ... shnilý rotten; interesting, from 'hniloba' rottenness: ... as Serbian 'čvrst'; ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Pseudo-cognates?
    ... Polish 'zepsuty' (rotten, spoiled; Serb. ... shnilý rotten; interesting, from 'hniloba' rottenness: ... But when referred to a human (in such phrases as "czerstwy staruszek", ...
    (sci.lang)