History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 140

much dealt in by the Baltic traders; there is, of course, the possibility of an unrecorded
OE. *tealh, *taelh.
Train (1497 in a non-Eng. context, 1515 in an Eng. context), the earlier name for what
is now called train oil; in the 15th and 16th centuries the form was trane, ad. MLG. and
LG. trân, M.Du. traen, Du. traan, oil extracted; the word passed from LG. into Da. and
Sw.
A number of words were brought in by the Baltic timber trade.
Spar (13 .., Cursor M.), one of the common rafters of a roof; (1388, in Nicholas, Hist.
Roy. Navy), a pole or piece of timber, esp. an undressed stem under 6 inches in
diameter; (1640), a general term for all masts, yards, booms, &c.; probably of Low
Dutch origin, compare M.Du. sparre, spar, spare, also M.Du. and Flem. sperre, spar;
but ON. had sperri and sperra, and the quotation of 13 .. may be of ON. origin.
Shotboard (1310), of uncertain meaning, but probably a board of wainscot; shot may
be from M.Du. schot, a partition, with substitution of sh- for sk- on the analogy of the
numerous English words with initial sh-, or it may represent a similar alteration of the
second element in wainscot. Wainscot (1352-3, Ely Sacr. Rolls), a superior quality of
foreign oak imported from Russia, Germany, and Holland, chiefly used for fine panel
work; ad. MLG. wagenschot (1389), apparently from wagen, carriage, and schot (of
doubtful meaning, cf. MLG. bokenschot, LG. bökenschot, beechwood of superior
quality); 16th-century Flem. has a form waeghescot, waeghenschot (Kilian); the
synonymous Du. or Flem. wandschot (Kilian) may be the source of the Eng. forms as
wandschoth (14th century), and is either an etymologizing perversion of wagenschot
or an independent formation on wand, wall of a room; the English examples of the
word are earlier than those given in the MLG. and M.Du. dictionaries, and the first
element appears already in the earliest instances assimilated to the English Wain.
Rigald (1338 in Nicholas, Hist. Roy. Navy), timber for light spars; the ME. forms are
righolt (1399), richolt (15th century), and these appear to represent MLG. regel-,
rigelholt (M.Du. righelhout), from regel, rail, spar, and holt, wood.
Spire (1392), a spar or pole of timber; chiefly of Northern or Sc. location; perhaps from
ON. spíra, but a Low Dutch origin is more likely (M.Du. spier, LG. spiere, spier, N.Fris.
spir, W.Fris. spier).
Deal (1402, in C. Frost, Early Hist. Hull), a slice sawn from a log of timber, a plank of
pine or firwood; ad. MLG. dele, plank, floor.
Knag (c. 1440), a short spur or stiff projection from the trunk or branch of a tree; ME.
knag or knagge are probably from MLG. knagge, a knot; Da. knag, Sw. knagge were
probably borrowed from LG.; Knag, vb. and Knagged are regarded as derivatives, but
are evidenced before it.
Raff (c. 1440, Pr. Parv. as raafman, 1459, Relig. Ord. Norwich as rafman), foreign
timber usually in the form of deals; perhaps ad. G. raf, raff(e), obs. or dial., from rafe,
rafter, beam. Rafter is of course from OE. raefter, but the Sc. forms with -ch- (rach-,
rauch-, rawch-, raychter) are probably from the MLG. rachter (also rafter); it is

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