History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 128

2. 9.
There is a group of names for the cavalry soldier.
Rutter (1506), a cavalry soldier, esp. a German one, of the kind employed in the wars
of the 16th and 17th centuries; ad. M.Du. rutter, variant of ruter, ruyter (Du. ruiter), ad.
OF. routier, routeur. The diminutive, Rutterkin (1526), has the sense a swaggering
gallant or bully; from rutter and -kin. Swartrutter (1557), one of the class of irregular
troopers, with black dress and armour and blackened faces, who infested the
Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries; ad. e.mod.Du. swartrutter (in Kilian swerte
ruyters, plur.), from swart, black, and rutter. Variants of rutter are Ruiter (1579) and
Roiter (1583), both ad. Du. ruiter, ruyter. Ridder (1694), rider; ad. obs. F. ridde,
riddre, rider, ad. Flem. rijder, ridder, knight.
The next two words represent the extremes in the scale of soldiery.
Snaphaunce, Snaphance (1538), an armed marauder or robber; also (1588) an early
form of flintlock used in muskets and pistols; of Low Dutch origin, representing Du.
and Flem. snaphaan (in Kilian snaphaen, MLG. snaphân, LG. snapphân, G,
schnapphahn), from snappen, to snap, and haan, cock; the sense is probably ‘one
who snaps the cock of his flintlock at you’; the final -s sound of the Eng. word may be
due to confusion with the personal name Hans.
Life-guard (1648), a bodyguard of soldiers, now plur.; from life and guard, but
probably suggested by Du. lijfgarde, in which, however, the first element has the
sense ‘body’.
The following are the names of officers and petty officers of military ranks. With one
exception they are compounds, having as their second element master.
Rote-master (1523), one in command of a company of gunners; ad. Du. rotmeester
(G. rottmeister), from rot, a file of soldiers, and meester. Gill-master (1598, Barret,
Theor. Warres), the title of a military officer; perhaps ad. Du. gildemeester,
guildmaster, i.e. head of one of the ‘guilds’ or companies of bowmen, gunners, &c.
Quartermaster (1600), an officer, ranking as lieutenant, who provides quarters for the
soldiers; this military sense of ‘quartermaster’ is apparently the original meaning of F.
quartier-maître, Du. kwartiermeester, G. quartiermeister, and may have been adopted
from any one of those languages. Matross (1639), a soldier next below the rank of
gunner in a train of artillery, who acted as a kind of assistant or mate; ad. Du. matroos,
sailor (whence G. matrose, Da., Sw. matros), apparently a corruption of F. matelot,
sailor; in the U.S. the term was synonymous with a private of artillery. Rittmaster
(1648), the captain of a troop of horse; ad. G. rittmeister or Du. ritmeester, from ritt,
riding, and meister.
2. 10.
Terms dealing with such matters as pay, leave, and guard duties are not numerous