0617_moq page

E 0593 (TO) MOCK

The verb " to mock " comes from French, but with unknown origin .

H 0617 ק ו מ *

Concept of root : mocking

Hebrew word		pronunciation				English meanings
ק ו מ *		moq				to mock

Related English words				to mock

Comparison between European words and Hebrew
Languages	Words		Pronunciation		English meanings		Similarity in roots
Hebrew	ק ו מ *		moq		to mock		m (o) q
Greek	μωκος		mokòs		jester		m (o) k
French	moquer		moqé		to mock		m (o) q
English	to mock				to mock		m (o) ck
Spanish	mucca		mucca		grimace		m (u) cc
Italian	mocca		mocca		grimace		m (o) cc

Hebrew MOQ --- MOCK < MOCQUER, English < Old French

As the * indicates, we have here a hypothetical Hebrew verb, the root of which is certain though on the basis of two other words. One is the Biblical verb " ה מ י ק , hemiq " meaning "to mock at". This kind of composite verb is mostly, but not always consequently, used as a causative form of the basic verb . The second word of support is present in Post Biblical Hebrew : מ ו ק י ו ן , muqion = jester". This is sufficient to presume the past existence of the verb "* moq" with the meaning "to mock". So now what about English ?

Some scholars want to see the word "muqion " as loaned from the Greek word " mokos", that would itself be of uncertain origin . In Greek a "mòkos" is a poet, but a "mokòs" a jester. Anyhow, the Hebrew root " מ ו ק , M W Q" is Biblical, not only Post Biblical, and with that the loaning is out of the question.

Note:

English "to mock" is considered to have come, naturally via Middle English (moquen , mokken) from Old French "mocquer". The Spanish and Italian words are fully out of use, but are considered to be related to the same Old French verb "mocquer" ( modern moquer), that has a sister in Provencal: "mochar". This word also means "to grimace" , a meaning found in the Italian word "mocca", also "mucca" and older "moca". But from "mocquer" back the road becomes unclear. Classic Latin does not help us.

The verb "muccare" for "to blow one’s nose" cannot have led to the abovementioned Spanish and Italian nouns. Neither is there any clearness in Vulgar Latin. Older Germanic words with a similar root say " to sulk (grunting)" as of course still present in Modern Dutch "mokken = to sulk ". This is too far from "to mock".

Often, when a word is found in Neo-Latin languages and Late Latin, but not in Classic Latin, its origin is Germanic. But in this case there is no evidence for that. The origin of this group of words remains uncertain.

Note:

Proto-Semitic. There is not much evidence available for a hypothesis, and only from Hebrew .

Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 28/12/2012 at 9.54.36

moq

to mock

to mock

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Hebrew *MOQ --- *MOCK < MOCQUER, English < Old French

Hebrew MOQ --- MOCK < MOCQUER, English < Old French