The reason why 'not many people know' this is that it is wrong.
Heathen and ethnicus are not cognate, though about 1400 ethnicus was once a synonym for "a heathen, pagan, one who is not a Christian or Jew". [presumably also Muslims?]
Ethnic and variants are from Late Latin ethnicus, itself from Greek ethnikos "of or for a nation, national."
Heathen is from Proto-Germanic *haithana-
One step sideways: recent thinking about paganus (also a synonym for 'heathens', whence Modern English pagan) is that this wasn't a reference to a religion associated with dwellers in the countryside but rather the religion of a region.
The reason why 'not many people know' this is that it is wrong.
ReplyDeleteHeathen and ethnicus are not cognate, though about 1400 ethnicus was once a synonym for "a heathen, pagan, one who is not a Christian or Jew". [presumably also Muslims?]
Ethnic and variants are from Late Latin ethnicus, itself from Greek ethnikos "of or for a nation, national."
Heathen is from Proto-Germanic *haithana-
One step sideways: recent thinking about paganus (also a synonym for 'heathens', whence Modern English pagan) is that this wasn't a reference to a religion associated with dwellers in the countryside but rather the religion of a region.
Thank you Bob!
ReplyDeleteSee also:
https://aeon.co/essays/why-is-linguistics-such-a-magnet-for-dilettantes-and-crackpots