tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Jul 28 09:07:11 2009

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Re: News from Maltz

David Trimboli ([email protected]) [KLI Member] [Hol po'wI']

Terrence Donnelly wrote:
> --- On Tue, 7/28/09, David Trimboli <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
>> Lieven Litaer wrote:
>> 
>>>> 1) The noun {vIlle'} means something close to
>> "minion".  [The word
>>>> in English is often used to refer to a loyal or
>> even fawning
>>>> servant of someone who is typically considered
>> powerful.  Compare
>>>> with "henchman", who has the same general job but
>> is usually a
>>>> mercenary.] From wikipedia, I see that a minion is not the
>> same as a henchman.
>>> Maybe not intended, but when you read {vIlle'}
>> backwards, it sounds
>>> like "élève", french for "student". Not only one
>> being taught in
>>> school, but also like a minion. (maybe just a
>> coincidence?)
>> 
>> My guess is that it sounds like "villain," which is the sort of
>> person who nearly always has minions.
>> 
> 
> Also, wasn't there an old English word "villein" that meant something
> like servant or minion?

You're right, that's  it. A villein was a low-class farmer, just one 
step above a serf. It's also the linguistic source of the word "villain."


-- 
SuStel
tlhIngan Hol MUSH
http://trimboli.name/mush

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