Vettel (swear word)
Vettel ( Latin : vetula "old woman"; after vetulus "elderly", vetus "old") is a derogatory term for an old woman with a depraved character.
history
In the 15th century, according to the Etymological Dictionary by Kluge / Götze , the word Vettel originated from the late Middle High German vetel , a term used in student circles to mean “dissolute woman”. The pejorative meaning resulted in the use in the sense of "lewd woman with a witch-like appearance". Later the term was used pejoratively for "old woman with a depraved character and unsavory, ugly appearance".
The German dictionary of the Brothers Grimm summarizes:
"Dissolute, fornication, witch-like appearance and nature are seen as the characteristic trait of the Vettel [.]"
The Etymological Dictionary of the German Language writes:
" Sf per. vulg. (15th century). Borrowed from l. vetula "old woman" (to l. vetus "old"), initially in student language. → Veteran "
Mardi Gras figure
The old hag is also an old carnival figure who turned into a witch over time . From a linguistic point of view, the epithet "old" restores the original meaning, namely "old woman".
Individual evidence
- ^ Vettel (swear word) . In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm : German Dictionary . Hirzel, Leipzig 1854–1961 ( woerterbuchnetz.de , University of Trier). Here: Volume 26, Leipzig 1951, Col. 23.
- ^ Etymological Dictionary of the German Language , 24th edition, page 959
