Talk:dull

Etymologies

Century also has dull as a noun and a verb of unknown origin — it says "there is no evidence to connect it with" Latin dolus (“artifice; a snare”) — used in the Southern US, and by now probably obsolete. The noun denotes a noose of string, metal wire, or hair used to snare fish, and the verb means to fish with such a noose. The verb is said to have also been used in Ireland: Clare Island Survey: A Biological Survey of Clare Island, in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (1915), page 21, "In Irish-English, “dulling for trout” is well known,—the fish as they lie still in a pool are snared with a noose of horsehair." However, the only citation I've found so far is:

• 1903, Field and Stream, page 66:

  Play fair, boys. No dynamite nor "dulling." The deadly "dull," or wire noose, is a fatal weapon against a trout.

- -sche (discuss) 05:28, 5 July 2015 (UTC)

The EDD says this was also used in Ireland, and derives it from Irish dul, dol (“snare”), saying "the phr. 'put a dull on the rope' is freq. heard". Elsewhere it is said "'dulling for trout' is well known". Century has a cite:

• 1880 March 11, Forest and Stream:

  I hope that the barbarous practice called dulling has gone out of fashion.

- -sche (discuss) 02:17, 4 January 2022 (UTC)

collapsed

Except for an 'unknown origin', the above reference is confirmed by White & Riddle Latin dictionary that derives DOLUS naturally from Greek DOLOS[8], but Liddle & Scott do not mention any Germanic cousin words (except O.H.G. ZALA that is very dubious indeed[2]). According to Renier's Dutch dictionary you have DOLEN and DWALEN, to wander, err[6]; but the Germanic connection is not as clear as those cognates cited under DULL. They seem to have an older root[3] - I do not mean the origin of Gaelic DOL (to go)[5], that would be side tracking. Ironically, the meaning of the initial root is 'to swing (as a door)' et cetera[7], and links fairly closely to that of your Proto-Indo-European root.

[0] means 'Absolutely not; [1] means 'Exceedingly unlikely'; [2] means 'Very dubious'; [3] means 'Questionable'; [4] means 'Possible'; [5] means 'Probable'; [6] means 'Likely'; [7] means 'Most Likely' or *Unattested; [8] means 'Attested'; [9] means 'Obvious' - only used for close matches within the same language or dialect, at linkable periods.

Andrew H. Gray 21:19, 4 November 2015 (UTC) (talk) 20:26, 25 August 2015 (UTC)