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Archiver > DENMARK > 2000-11 > 0973508454


From: Lloyd Mitchell <>
Subject: Re: [DK] Re: [OEL] Lieutenant, Leftenant
Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2000 11:00:54 +0000
References: <3.0.6.32.20001105210107.009de670@pop.lava.net>
In-Reply-To: <009101c047d3$e849dc00$7d7d4382@default>


Hi Haakon and All,
At 10:28 AM 6/11/2000 +0100, you wrote:

> Both are TENANT.
> In LIEU means "in the place of" or "instead of". And then the good
>book says that lieutenant means 1. deputy, substitute, vicegerent, acting
>for a
>One may wonder if this "lieu" came from danish or norwegian "ly",
>which means cover, shelter, protection. I ly av = sheltered by, and then
>the lieutenant acted on behalf of his chief, or rather the chief acted
>sheltered by
>the lieutenant.
> In norwegian to day the title is løytnant. I guess that this is from
>løyne = conceal,

Ingenious, but both parts of the word are of French/Latin origins. 'Lieu':
in place of and 'Tenant': holding (Modern French: 'tenir' to hold). So it
refers to someone who 'holds something in place of someone else'. The
French is originally from Latin: 'locums-tenens'.

All the European languages seem to have Latin based titles for these ranks:
lieutenant, captain ('head'), major ( er ... 'major').

Incidentally, I suspect that the 'leftenant' pronunciation is fading, along
with the non-US version of 'schedule', and other words, under the
continuing onslaught of Hollywood. The Royal Navy, of course, always
pronounced it more like 'l'tenant'.

And isn't 'ly' probably related to English 'lee'?

Best!

Lloyd

Looking for Johanne Marie SCHOU, born Slesvig, 1865, emigrated to
Australia, 1884

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