Little sticky twigs
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Or maybe "little sticky toes"?
'Tis the season for articles about mistletoe, like this one: Rachel Ehrenberg, "Marvelous Misunderstood Mistletoe", Knowable Magazine 12/18/2020:
Some plants are so entwined with tradition that it’s impossible to think of one without the other. Mistletoe is such a plant. But set aside the kissing custom and you’ll find a hundred and one reasons to appreciate the berry-bearing parasite for its very own sake.
I was interested to learn about haustoria, epicortical runners, viscin, hyperparasitism, and so on — but then there's the etymology:
Their name derives from Anglo-Saxon words meaning “dung-on-a-twig” — typically the dung of birds, which eat the seeds and disperse them to new host plants.
I was curious about how to get from "dung-on-a-twig" to "mistletoe", so I turned to the OED.
The OED gives this etymology for the mistle- part: (which it glosses as "Now Scottish: Mistletoe, Viscum album; spec. mistletoe growing on oak"):
Etymology: Cognate with West Frisian mistel mistletoe, early modern Dutch mistel mistletoe, birdlime (1599 in Kiliaan, who considers it a loanword < Saxon; Dutch mistel mistletoe), Old Saxon mistil mistletoe, birdlime (Middle Low German mistel mistletoe), Old High German mistil (Middle High German mistel , German Mistel mistletoe), Old Icelandic mistil– (only in mistilteinn mistletoe n.), Swedish mistel mistletoe, Danish mistel mistletoe (the Swedish and Danish forms are probably borrowings < Low German). Further etymology uncertain: perhaps < the Germanic base of mix n.1, from the fact that the plant is propagated in the excrement of birds (compare quot. 1562 for mistle berry n. at Compounds); or perhaps cognate with the Germanic base of mash n.1, with reference to the stickiness of the berries; in both cases the second element is the Germanic base of the diminutive suffix -el suffix.
As for the -toe part, the OED's etymology for mistletoe says that a twig/toe eggcorn seems to have been involved:
Etymology: < mistle n. + Old English tān twig (see teanel n.). Compare Old Icelandic mistilteinn, Swedish regional mistelten, Danish mistelten.
The loss of final -n in α. forms arises from early confusion (already in late Old English) of the second element with Old English tān , plural of tā toe (see toe n.). The β. forms show the normal development of the Old English compound with weakening of the final syllable due to low stress. The γ. forms are probably contractions of the β. forms. For the voicing of s to z in combination with a voiced consonant, as evidenced by occasional forms with z , see E. J. Dobson Eng. Pronunc. 1500–1700 (ed. 2, 1968) II. §364.
As for the birdlime part of mistle-, I've always thought of birdlime as "a sticky substance spread on twigs to snare small birds", and dictionaries and encyclopedias seem to agree with me. The Knowable article's "dung" idea might refer to the "etymology uncertain" connection to mix, or it may have come from a mistaken inference that birdlime refers to the whitish color of bird poop, which looks sort of like lime = calcium carbonate.
In any case, I'm happy to learn about the "early confusion" between twigs and toes.
Peter Grubtal said,
December 24, 2020 @ 3:00 am
In modern German "Mist" is dung, also as an exclamation of about the same import as "shit!". And the diminutive ..el, 'l still exists, but I've never (in Bavaria) heard a diminutive formed of "Mist" that way.
John Swindle said,
December 24, 2020 @ 5:35 am
As in "Ist das nicht ein haufen Mist? Ja, das ist ein haufen Mist," for those who may know the German-American song. Although no birds or toes or twigs there that I recall.
Francois Lang said,
December 24, 2020 @ 9:46 am
"Dung-on-a-twig" sounds too much like a prissy euphemism.
Why not just "shit-on-a-stick"?
Bob Ladd said,
December 24, 2020 @ 10:18 am
As long as we're engaging in recreational etymology, I've always liked the fact that English viscous, viscosity, etc. all come from the Latin word for mistletoe (as in the botanical name Viscum album mentioned in the OP).
[(myl) Indeed. ]
Trogluddite said,
December 24, 2020 @ 11:58 am
Bob Ladd: "Latin word for mistletoe … Viscum"
As featured in the scientific name for the Mistle Thrush; Turdus Viscivorus ("Mistletoe-eater"). Continuing the somewhat scatalogical theme of the thread so far; I've always thought it apt that a bird especially famed for propagating mistletoe by pooing on trees would belong to the genus Turdus; but disappointingly, it is just Latin for 'thrush' and is etymologically unrelated to the word 'turd'!
Bob Ladd said,
December 24, 2020 @ 12:54 pm
@Trogluddite: but continuing the recreational etymology theme, it appears that thrush isactually indirectly related to Latin turdus, though the details are obscure even in the OED.
Yuval said,
December 24, 2020 @ 4:16 pm
What do the Greek letters index?
Stephen L said,
December 25, 2020 @ 3:00 am
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/mistilaz
gives a much different etymolgoy for the 'mistil' bit:
' Derived from Proto-Indo-European *me (“with, mid”) and a zero-grade of *sed- (“to sit”) due to the fact that the plant parasitizes “sitting” on other plants, with the diminutive suffix + *-ilaz or + *-ilǭ known from Proto-Germanic *þistilaz (“thistle”) and Proto-West Germanic *natilā (“nettle”), compare for this derivation type Proto-Indo-European *nisdós (“nest”) and Proto-Indo-European *písdeh₂ (“pudendum”). '
It feels more plausible than to say it grows from Mist-as-in-dung in the german sense. I wonder how often people would notice that mistletoe growing from bird-poop anyway?
I had a quick look at the article the wiktionary entry cites:
zum germanischen Namen der Mistel , https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/41288998.pdf
Which disputes the 'dung'-dervied definition on similar grounds.
Stephen L said,
December 25, 2020 @ 3:07 am
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/mistilaz
gives a much different etymolgoy for the 'mistil' bit:
' Derived from Proto-Indo-European *me (“with, mid”) and a zero-grade of *sed- (“to sit”) due to the fact that the plant parasitizes “sitting” on other plants, with the diminutive suffix + *-ilaz or + *-ilǭ known from Proto-Germanic *þistilaz (“thistle”) and Proto-West Germanic *natilā (“nettle”), compare for this derivation type Proto-Indo-European *nisdós (“nest”) and Proto-Indo-European *písdeh₂ (“pudendum”). '
It feels more plausible than to say it grows from Mist-as-in-dung in the german sense. I wonder how often people would notice that mistletoe growing from bird-poop anyway?
The wiktionary article cites
zum germanischen Namen der Mistel
Stephen L said,
December 25, 2020 @ 3:10 am
Oops, I didn't paste in my full comment:
I meant to add, I had a quick look at the Zum germanischen Name der Mistel article and it also expresses doubt at the fact that people would notice mistletoe comes from dung.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41288998?casa_token=WU9sbELAJoMAAAAA%3AaFqcvY8plWlO-DqfL2jS9c2gpT7aa7LF6Gah3MD3VdWjgeDUFyZ5-vyrfH1VJ-hy-KwS44W6rsoSVMx7hP6XsLw9_thjy1teC78wWJP0ArOD-5VfGWE&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
[I don't know much about proto-indo-european so can't assess the veracity of the the article generally]
Peter Grubtal said,
December 25, 2020 @ 5:57 am
Stephen L : oh dear, not another folk etymology. But ML can't be blamed after the passage in the OED. Surprising that that venerable institution indulges in such speculation.
Perhaps they should have admitted that the roots of Mistel are lost in the passage of time, or laconically just said "etymology unknown".
[(myl) So the first part of mistletoe apparently involves a sitting/shitting/sticking eggcorn, just as the second part involves a twig/toe eggcorn. A fittingly syncretistic etymology for a maximally syncretistic holiday decoration…]
Thomas Rees said,
December 25, 2020 @ 6:01 am
@Yuval
Spelling forms:
α. Old English mistiltan, Old English–Middle English mistelta, early Middle English mistelðan, Middle English mistelto, Middle English mistilte, Middle English mistilto, Middle English mysleto, 1500s miscelto, 1500s misletoa, 1500s misteldew, 1500s misteltewe, 1500s misteltow, 1500s misteltowe, 1500s muscelto, 1500s myscelto, 1500s mysceltowe, 1500s mysselltoe, 1500s mysteltew, 1500s mysteltewe, 1500s–1600s miselto, 1500s–1800s misselto, 1500s– misseltoe, 1600s messelto, 1600s misceltow, 1600s misstletoe, 1600s mizletoe, 1600s muzletoe, 1600s–1800s misleto, 1600s– misletoe, 1600s– missletoe, 1600s– mistletoe, 1700s–1800s mistleto, 1700s– miseltoe, 1800s mistletow, 1800s– mezeltoe (English regional).
β. late Middle English mistylltyn, late Middle English mystiltyne, late Middle English mystyldene, late Middle English mystynden (probably transmission error), 1500s misceldin, 1500s mistledine, 1500s mysceltyne, 1500s mystelden, 1500s–1600s miscelden, 1500s–1600s miselden, 1500s–1600s misselden, 1600s meseldine, 1600s messeldeu (Scottish, probably transmission error), 1600s misseldeu (Scottish, probably transmission error), 1600s misseldin, 1600s misseldine, 1600s mistelden, 1600s mistleden, 1700s misleden.
γ. 1500s mislen, 1600s misleen; English regional 1800s– masslinn (East Anglian), 1800s– mislin (East Anglian), 1900s– mizzlin' (Lincolnshire).
Stephen L said,
December 29, 2020 @ 6:52 am
I was speaking with a German friend who didn't know the term "Mistel" at all, but called it "Nistelzweig". Amusingly enough, the historically-concerned dictionary gives 'Nistel' as either the branches used to build a nest, or as a synonym for nettle, both referenced in the wiktionary etymology. (But has no mention of Nistelzweig). I'm not sure if there's much more than cross contamination at play here, but it amuses…
Stephen L said,
December 29, 2020 @ 7:31 am
(historically-concerned dictionary = Grimm Wörterbuch, somehow forgot to say – http://woerterbuchnetz.de/cgi-bin/WBNetz/wbgui_py?sigle=DWB&mode=Vernetzung&lemid=GN05781#XGN05781 )