petrusplancius (petrusplancius) wrote in linguaphiles,
petrusplancius
petrusplancius
linguaphiles

Oorlog, the Dutch word for war

What a intriguing word 'oorlog' is. I just came across this note in the English translation of Huizinga's Homo Ludens: "The origin of the curious Dutch word for war, oorlog, is not altogether clear, but at any rate it belongs to the sacred or ritual sphere. The meaning of the Old Germanic words that correspond to it flucuates between 'conflict', 'fate', and the condition of not being bound by an oath." Can anyone say anything more about this matter? And what would the corresponding Germanic word be?
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