[Tlhingan-hol] Der

[Robyn Stewart]

At 14:00 '?????' 6/7/2012, lojmIt tI'wI'nuv wrote:
>Perhaps others have already known this, but I 
>was just watching an old video on flying and 
>when discussing dirigibles, contrasting them to 
>balloons, the narrator pointed out that 
>"Dirigible means steerable." The only kind of 
>steering that a dirigible has is yaw. Though 
>it's spelled beginning with "dir", the English 
>pronunciation comes closer to the Klingon {Der}.

Neat. I think it's uncontested that our airship 
about an axis actions come from the [rud]Der, 
[eleva]tor and aile[ron]s of an airplane but you 
made me explore the English etymology.

Dirigible and direct both come from dis "apart" + 
regere "to guide" and go back to a postulated 
proto-Indo-European root *reg- "move in a 
straight line."  Rudder comes from adding a tool 
suffix -thra to a root ro- that means steer. 
Despite the similarity of meaning, the 
etymologies of ro and reg don't seem to intersect.

These are all from <http://www.etymonline.com/>http://www.etymonline.com.

dirigible
"airship," 1885, from Fr. dirigeable, lit. 
"capable of being directed or guided," from L. 
dirigere (see 
<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=direct&allowed_in_frame=0>direct 
(v.)). The word existed as an adjective in 
English from 1580s, with the literal sense.

<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=direct&allowed_in_frame=0>direct 
(v.)<http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=direct>
late 14c., "to write (to someone), to address," 
from L. directus "straight," pp. of dirigere "set 
straight," from dis- "apart" (see 
<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=dis-&allowed_in_frame=0>dis-) 
+ regere "to guide" (see 
<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=regal&allowed_in_frame=0>regal). 
Cf. 
<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=dress&allowed_in_frame=0>dress; 
<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=address&allowed_in_frame=0>address. 
Meaning "to govern, regulate" is from c.1500; "to 
order, ordain" is from 1650s. Sense of "to write 
the destination on the outside of a letter" is 
from 16c. Of plays, films, etc., from 1913. Related: Directed; directing.

<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=regal&allowed_in_frame=0>regal<http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=regal> 

early 14c., from L. regalis "royal, kingly, 
belonging to a king," from rex (gen. regis) 
"king," from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight 
line," hence, "direct, rule, guide" (cf. Skt. 
raj- "a king, a leader;" Avestan razeyeiti 
"directs;" Pers. rahst "right, correct;" L. 
regere "to rule," rex "a king, a leader," 
rectus"right, correct;" O.Ir. ri, Gaelic righ "a 
king;" Gaul. -rix "a king," in personal names, 
e.g. Vircingetorix; Goth. reiks "a leader;" O.E. 
rice "kingdom," -ric"king," rice "rich, 
powerful," riht "correct;" Goth. raihts, O.H.G. 
recht, O.Swed. reht, O.N. rettr "correct").

<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=rudder&allowed_in_frame=0>rudder<http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=rudder> 

O.E. roðor "paddle, oar," from P.Gmc. *rothru- 
(cf. O.Fris. roder, M.L.G. roder, M.Du. roeder, 
Du. roer, O.H.G. ruodar, Ger. Ruder "oar"), from 
*ro-"steer" (see 
<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=row&allowed_in_frame=0>row 
(v.)) + suffix -þra, used to form neutral names 
of tools. Meaning "broad, flat piece of wood 
attached to the stern of a boat and used for 
steering" is from c.1300. Spelling with -d- for -th- first recorded mid-15c.

<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=row&allowed_in_frame=0>row 
(v.)<http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=row>
"propel with oars," O.E. rowan (class VII strong 
verb; past tense reow, pp. rowen), from P.Gmc. 
*ro- (cf. O.N. roa, Du. roeien, W.Fris. roeije, 
M.H.G.rüejen), from PIE root *ere- (1) "to row" 
(cf. Skt. aritrah "oar;" Gk. eressein "to row," 
eretmon "oar," trieres "trireme;" L. remus "oar;" 
Lith. iriu "to row," irklas "oar;" O.Ir. rome "oar," O.E. roðor "rudder").