iprit etymology
Dr. Alan M. Stevens
Whereveryouare, USA
Dear Professor Stevens,
You invited e-mails from readers, but your earthlink address is extinct, and it seems you're not at Queens College, City University of New York any more. So I thought I'd post this here in case you google your own name (everyone does that, right?) in hopes you might see this.
First and foremost, you deserve praise for your Comprehensive Indonesian-English Dictionary, a tremendous accomplishment and an utterly indispensable help in my translation work. I could not possibly have achieved the success and recognition that I have in my job translating Indonesian without your excellent work.
The other reason I'm writing is to take you up on your offer to send in corrections. One small detail: The etymology of iprit 'a kind of evil spirit' is not Sanskrit but Arabic. The Arabic etymon عفريت ‘ifrīt is the name of a class of jinn, familiar to readers of Alf Laylah wa-Laylah. The word is derived from the root ‘fr meaning basically 'dust'. (I studied Arabic first before taking up Indonesian.)
It follows that the verb mengiprit 'to run away (out of fear, etc.)' is likewise derived from the same Arabic word, presumably because ‘afārīt are really scary if you happen across one in a dark alley.
All the best,
J.Hy
Whereveryouare, USA
Dear Professor Stevens,
You invited e-mails from readers, but your earthlink address is extinct, and it seems you're not at Queens College, City University of New York any more. So I thought I'd post this here in case you google your own name (everyone does that, right?) in hopes you might see this.
First and foremost, you deserve praise for your Comprehensive Indonesian-English Dictionary, a tremendous accomplishment and an utterly indispensable help in my translation work. I could not possibly have achieved the success and recognition that I have in my job translating Indonesian without your excellent work.
The other reason I'm writing is to take you up on your offer to send in corrections. One small detail: The etymology of iprit 'a kind of evil spirit' is not Sanskrit but Arabic. The Arabic etymon عفريت ‘ifrīt is the name of a class of jinn, familiar to readers of Alf Laylah wa-Laylah. The word is derived from the root ‘fr meaning basically 'dust'. (I studied Arabic first before taking up Indonesian.)
It follows that the verb mengiprit 'to run away (out of fear, etc.)' is likewise derived from the same Arabic word, presumably because ‘afārīt are really scary if you happen across one in a dark alley.
All the best,
J.Hy