History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 187

The terms of farming operations are: Sod, sb. (c. 1420), a piece or slice of earth with
the grass growing on it, cut out or pared off from the surface of grass land; apparently
ad. M.Du. sode, soode (Du. zode) or MLG. sode (LG. sode, sudde). The vb. Sod
(1653) is from the sb.; to cover or build up with sods or turfs; of. M.Du. soden, zoden,
LG. soden, söden, to make sods, lay with sods.
Perhaps a term in the manuring of land is Cauk (c. 1440, Pr. Parv.), chalk, lime; it is
not clear whether calk, cauk is simply the northern form of chalk, OE. cealc, or
adopted independently from Low Dutch (M.Du. calc, Du. kalk).
The terms of stock-raising are: Spane (13.., Cursor M.), to wean; (1828), to take root
and cast off the seed; ad. OF. espanir or M.Du. and MLG. spanen (MLG. also
sponen), apparently related to OE. spana, spona, teat; for the secondary sense
compare W.Flem. spanen, spenen, spennen, to set (of fruit). Spean (1595), to wean;
this may be a later form of spane or independently ad. M.Du. or MLG. spenen (Du.
and Flem. spenen, LG. spenen, spänen).
Clyre, Clyer, Clier (1794, from Sc.), a glandular swelling, usually in the plural, as a
name of a disease of cattle; corresponds to and may be ad. M.Du. cliere, Du. klier,
gland, glandular swelling.
Sprue (1825, Jamieson), thrush; (1888), a disease occurring esp. in tropical countries,
psilosis; ad. Du. spruw, sprouw (older Flem. sprouwe, W.Flem. sproe, LG. and MLG.
sprüwe).
There is one term of poultry-raising: Pip (c. 1440), a disease of poultry; apparently ad.
M.Du. pippe (Du. pip, MLG. and E.Fris. pip, LG. pipp).
A few names were borrowed for breeds of pigeons and rabbits.
Antwerp (1839), a variety of homing or carrier pigeon; from the name of the Belgian
city.
Smerle (1869), a variety of the domestic pigeon; ad. Flem. smerle, probably a special
application of older smerle, now smerlijn, merlin.
Beveren (1919), a breed of rabbit; from the name of the town in Belgium.
There are two gardening terms.
Slip (1495), a twig for grafting or planting; (1582), a young person, esp. of slender
build; (1440, Pr. Parv.) edge, skirt, or flap of garment; apparently ad. M.Du. or MLG.
slippe (Du. and Flem. slip, LG. slip, slippe), cut, slit, strip, lappet, skirt; the first sense
of the English word, however, is not recorded in any of these languages.
Spit (1507-8, from Suffolk), such a depth of earth as is pierced by the full length of a
spade-blade; ad. M.Du. or MLG. spit (Du., LG., and W.Fris. spit).
The following are agricultural terms which admit of no further classification.
Bower (c. 1430, Lydgate), a peasant, husbandman; ad. M.Du. bouwer. A later form is
Boor (1551); in its literary use the modern Eng. boor is probably from LG. bûr, or Du.
boer, and not from OE. gebūr, which survives only in neighbour; the original sense

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