Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/04/27
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The mouse bit probably originates from the German (and Old German) Meise - (the modern German name for birds of this family). The similar word "Meisje" in Dutch (IIRR) is used as a word for small girls. The smallness part is also still expressed in words like "titch", "titchy" and "titbit". The smaller (in height) members of our school classes in Yorkshire always got lumbered with the nickname Titch. Douglas John Collier wrote: > tit [tit] , > ?noun > 1. > a titmouse. > 2. > any of various other small birds. > 3. > Archaic. a girl or young woman; hussy. > 4. > Archaic. a small or poor horse; nag. > Origin: > 1540?50; repr. ME tite- (in titemose titmouse ); c. Norw titetitmouse; > akin to ON tittr tack, pin. > > > > On 26-Apr-09, at 4:28 PM, Marc Dufour wrote: > >> From: "Doug Herr" >> >> >>> The Oak Titmouse is a member of family Paridae which inludes >>> Chickadees and Tits (where the name came from I won't try to guess) > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information