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mutated initial pf from p indicates, previous to the OHG. period (see Pfirsich) from Lat. prûnum, ‘plum,’ or rather its plur. prûna. The change of gender in names of fruit was made even in the Rom. group, as is shown by the words corresponding to Lat. cerasum, pomum, morum, and pirum; see Birne and Kirsche. Hence the late OHG. pfrûma, f., ‘plum,’ in closer connection with the Lat. form, and also pflûmo, ‘plum-tree.’ The s of the Lat. word is changed into l, as in Lat. morus, equiv. to Maulbeerbaum (comp. also Pilgrim, from Lat. peregrînus, which has, besides, m for Lat. n). Numerous MidHG. and ModHG. dial. forms, as well as the corresponding Du. pruim, likewise contain r; comp., on the other hand, AS. plûme, E. plum. The Rom. derivatives of Lat. prûnum are Fr. prune, Ital. prugna, Span. pruna (in MidLat. too forms with l and m occur instead of r and n; m, moreover, appears in South-East Fr. dials.). As to the time when the word was borrowed, see Pfirsich.

pflegen, vb., ‘to nurse, cherish, indulge in, be accustomed to,’ from MidHG. pflëgen, OHG. pflëgan, ‘to take care of, take a friendly interest in, provide for, protect, carry on, be wont or accustomed to,’ OHG. and early MidHG. also ‘to promise, stand security for.’ It corresponds to OSax. plëgan, ‘to promise, stand security, be answerable for,’ Du. plegen, ‘to nurse, execute, do, be accustomed’; also to AS. plëgian, ‘to move on rapidly, play,’ E. to play. The Prov. and OFr. plevir, ‘to assure, stand security,’ to which no definite Lat. and Rom. original can be assigned, is derived rather from MidEurop. Teut. (OSax. and OHG.) than the reverse. E. pledge originated in OFr. pleige, MidLat. plegium. Although the West Teut. cognates must have existed perhaps as early as the 4th cent., nothing definite can be asserted concerning their origin and their numerous meanings, the base of which seems to be ‘to act affectionately for, or in conjunction with, some one’; to this Gr. βλέφαρον, ‘eye,’ as well as βλέπειν, ‘to see’ (Aryan root glegh?), is perhaps primit. allied. If the cognates have been borrowed, their source cannot be determined; Rom. is out of the question, since it contains no suitable root from which they can be derived. See Pflicht.

Pflicht, f., ‘obligation, duty, allegiance,’ from MidHG. and OHG. pfliht, f., ‘friendly

care, nursing, intercourse, sympathy, service, obligation’; a verbal abstract from pflegen; allied to AS. pliht, ‘danger,’ E. plight, as well as AS. pleón, ‘to risk,’ and pleóh, ‘danger’.

Pflock, m., from the equiv. late MidHG. pfloc (gen. -ckes), m., and pflocke, m., ‘plug, peg’; corresponding to Du. plug, vb. and subst., equiv. to the E. vb. and subst. plug. The word seems to be unknown to UpG.

pflücken, vb., ‘to pluck, gather,’ from the equiv. MidHG. pflücken (MidG. pflocken); OHG. *pflucchen is by chance not recorded; comp. Du. plukken, AS. pluccian (AS. *plyččan may be inferred from MidE. plicchen), E. to pluck, OIc. plokka, ‘to pluck’ (birds). Since the word is so widely diffused in OTeut. (it is wanting only in UpG.; yet note Swiss blucke, ‘to pluck,’ from the prim. form *bluggôn) there is absolutely no foundation for supposing that it has been borrowed. If it be assumed that the cognates found their way to the North with the South Europ. culture of the vine in the 2nd or 3rd cent., from Ital. piluccare, ‘to gather grapes’ (Prov. pelucar, ‘to pluck out,’ Fr. éplucher), then the early existence of the Rom. word must be more definitely established.

Pflug, m., from the equiv. MidHG. pfluoc (gen. -ges), m., OHG. pfluog, pfluoh, m., ‘plough’; corresponding to the equiv. Du. ploeg, AS. plôh, E. plough, OIc. plógr. These cognates, which were diffused in Teut. at an early period, as may be inferred from the agreement of the dialects, curiously correspond to the Slav. class, Serv. and Russ. plugŭ (Lith. pliugas), though the normal permutation does not take place in Teut. The Slav. word is probably borrowed from the Teut. original, which was perhaps acquired during the migratory period; comp. Pfad. Teut. plôgo also appears in Rhæto-Rom. and in Upper Ital.; Tyrol. plof, Lombard. piò. OTeut. likewise contained many terms for ‘plough’ which afterwards became obsolete; AS. sulh (primit. allied to Lat. sulcus), Goth. hôha, OIc. arl, OSax. ęrida. —

Pflugschar, f., ‘ploughshare,’ late MidHG. pfluocschar, MidE. ploughschare, E. ploughshare; allied like MidHG. schar, m. and n., OHG. scaro, ‘ploughshare,’ to scheren.

Pforte, f., ‘door, gate, portal,’ from the equiv. MidHG. pforte, OHG. (Franc.) pforta, f.; borrowed in the OHG. period,