TNTL 118/1

Johan Gerritsen

De vogelnaam kalkoen en andere etymologica

Abstract -- Like English turkey, Dutch kalkoen reflects early confusion of the American bird with the Guinea fowl already known to the Ancients. The nautical term barring (‘spare spars, their repository, more generally: lumber’), is derived from Malay barang (‘belongings’). The term mafje for the 25-cent piece reflects its being the successor to the Dutch shilling, originally six stivers, but set at 5½ in 1692 and hence known as maffe schelling (maf = ‘silly’). The explanation of Pierlala as the Dutch name Pier plus la-la seems questionable, the earliest occurrence in the Dictionary of the Dutch Language (WNT) presently known (1668) using the French form: Pierre la la.

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