How's this:
Kluge: Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 11.
Auflage, Berlin 1934:
Zickzack M. zunächst ein Wort der Belagerungskunst für die
Annäherungsgräben: Nehring 1710 "sicsac, ein neu Wort, so erst bey der
Belagerung Landaus (seit 1703) bekandt gemacht worden" .... Das
Verhältnis von i zu a geht nicht auf den idg. Ablaut zurück, wenn Z.
auch zu Zacken nach Vorbildern wie singe - sang (- gesungen) gebildet
sein mag. Vgl. Kribskrabs, Krimskrams, Mischmasch, Schnickschnack,
Tingeltangel, Wirrwarr.
Couldn't the defences of 17th century towns be described as a series of
"Zacken"? Landau's defences were apparently built by the French in
1688, which may explain the existence of the word "zigzag" in French.
I can't see that the word should offend Rastafarians, but what about
Pacifists?
Alan Deighton
Department of German
University of Hull
On Wed, 10 Sep 2003 12:47:52 +0100 "Niven,
William" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear Colleagues:
>
> I have just received this email from Nottingham City Council. Can anyone advise?
>
> Subject: Etymological query relating to zickzack
>
> The City council is on the point of launching a major campaign on harassment
> and discrimination for our 14,000 employees. The principle campaign vehicle
> is a fold-up leaflet that opens out like a zig-zag and is therefore called
> 'the Zig-zag'. The whole campaign is to be called the zig-zag campaign.
>
> At the last minute someone has suggested that the term zig-zag may not be
> appropriate because it may be derived from the the name of the tower of
> Babel, which was a stepped pyramid, or ziggurat. The suggestion is that if
> this is the case the campaign may be offensive to Rastafarians as any
> mention of Babylon would be very negative for them.
>
> The Oxford Dictionary of English etymology says that the term zig-zag came
> into English via French from German in the c18th. It describes the German
> work zickzack as a 'symobolic formation', which I have taken to mean
> something to an onomatopaeia. But a symbolic formation could possibly be an
> academic coinage deriving from the Akkadian word ziggurat, could it?
>
> I am not a German speaker and I have no way of getting further to the heart
> of this arcane issue. Can anyone help with this? I am sorry but we
> have print dealines waiting for an answer to this, so if you can shed any
> light on the point it would need to be today if possible.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Industrial Relations Officer
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