CLICK HERE FOR KEY TO SOURCES
ETYMOLOGY from bel, literally fair, good, as in beausire, fair sir, beaupere, good father, used in French and Middle English to indicate indirect or adopted secondary relationship; so in modern French beau- as a formative in relation-names, ‘step-’, ‘-in-law’; Middle English bel-, ‘grand-’, as in beldame, grandmother, belsire, grandfather, also with purely English names, belmoder, belfader, and later belchild. Cf. Scottish and Northern England goodmother, goodfather, etc., mother-in-law, father-in-law, etc. Grand-: a formative in relation-names, as belsire, grandfather, beldam, grandmother, etc., + child EXAMPLE From: The Palgrave Family Memorials Edited by Charles John Palmer, and Stephen Tucker, 1878 B. Wills and Administrations. District Probate Court at Norwich II. Thomas Palgrave
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
September 2021
|