英语词汇beggar的起源、历史背景-英语词源词典

beggar; to beg. A beggar, as Ernest Weekley pointed out in The Romance of Words, is not etymologically one who begs, for in the case of to beg the verb evolved from the noun. Many scholars share this opinion. Surprisingly, beggar is not of an- cient vintage, like “eat” and “drink” and “sleep.” The word prob- ably derives from the nickname of the 12th-century Liege priest, Lambert le Begue (Lambert the Stammerer), who founded a Belgian lay order devoted to the religious life and chastity as a reaction against the suffering of the Crusades. Lit- tle is known about Lambert le Begue besides the fact that he died in 1177, but his secular order, though it demanded com- munal living, poverty, and self-denial, was a tolerant and popu- lar one. There were no requirements that his followers take vows or lock themselves in a monastery, and members were allowed to own private property, as well as to leave the order and marry. The nuns of the Beguine order were called beghinae in Medieval Latin, and the monks belonging to a male group formed in the Netherlands were similarly called beghardi, these Latin formations influenced by the name of their order and by the Old Flemish beghen, “to pray.” But the brotherhood of beghardi or Beghards, composed mostly of the tradesmen, was very loosely organized, making it easy for thieves and mendi- cants to pose as members of the poor and ill-clad group. Im- posters traveled the Low Countries claiming to be Beghards and asking for alms, and the group was held in low repute by the end of the 13th century—especially because a large number of the Beghards were militant trade unionists who raised havoc wherever they went, and because many other members had be- come idle, wandering mendicants like their imitators. The Old French word begard, meaning mendicant, was soon formed from either the Medieval Latin beghardi, for Beghards, or from the Middle Dutch beggaert, meaning the same thing. Begard, in turn, became the Anglo-French begger, which was transformed into the Middle English beggare, or mendicant, with its verb beggen, meaning to ask for alms. Eventually we had the English word beggar that we use today, the verb to beg thus growing out of what the beggar did. Other scholars trace beggar to the ob- scure Old English word bedecian, which is only related to a Gothic word meaning mendicant and is so rare it has been found only once. But even if this is correct, there is no doubt that the Beghards at least reinforced the idea of beggar in peo- ple’s minds. See also bigot.

词汇	beggar
词源	beggar; to beg. A beggar, as Ernest Weekley pointed out in The Romance of Words, is not etymologically one who begs, for in the case of to beg the verb evolved from the noun. Many scholars share this opinion. Surprisingly, beggar is not of an- cient vintage, like “eat” and “drink” and “sleep.” The word prob- ably derives from the nickname of the 12th-century Liege priest, Lambert le Begue (Lambert the Stammerer), who founded a Belgian lay order devoted to the religious life and chastity as a reaction against the suffering of the Crusades. Lit- tle is known about Lambert le Begue besides the fact that he died in 1177, but his secular order, though it demanded com- munal living, poverty, and self-denial, was a tolerant and popu- lar one. There were no requirements that his followers take vows or lock themselves in a monastery, and members were allowed to own private property, as well as to leave the order and marry. The nuns of the Beguine order were called beghinae in Medieval Latin, and the monks belonging to a male group formed in the Netherlands were similarly called beghardi, these Latin formations influenced by the name of their order and by the Old Flemish beghen, “to pray.” But the brotherhood of beghardi or Beghards, composed mostly of the tradesmen, was very loosely organized, making it easy for thieves and mendi- cants to pose as members of the poor and ill-clad group. Im- posters traveled the Low Countries claiming to be Beghards and asking for alms, and the group was held in low repute by the end of the 13th century—especially because a large number of the Beghards were militant trade unionists who raised havoc wherever they went, and because many other members had be- come idle, wandering mendicants like their imitators. The Old French word begard, meaning mendicant, was soon formed from either the Medieval Latin beghardi, for Beghards, or from the Middle Dutch beggaert, meaning the same thing. Begard, in turn, became the Anglo-French begger, which was transformed into the Middle English beggare, or mendicant, with its verb beggen, meaning to ask for alms. Eventually we had the English word beggar that we use today, the verb to beg thus growing out of what the beggar did. Other scholars trace beggar to the ob- scure Old English word bedecian, which is only related to a Gothic word meaning mendicant and is so rare it has been found only once. But even if this is correct, there is no doubt that the Beghards at least reinforced the idea of beggar in peo- ple’s minds. See also bigot.
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