# Strike, grêve, ...



## ThomasK

I suddenly noticed that the origins of the translations of the verb/concept 'to strike' are quite different in languages. 

I just give the Dutch here, with some comment, and I add the English/ German/ French without: 
- Dutch *staken* (lit. to stop, to cease, but used without an object when meaning 'to strike' --> _staakt-het-vuren_ (ceasefire), _de werkzaamheden staken_ (to stop the activities [for some time])
- E *to strike*
- German: *streiken*
- F : *être en grêve*
-

There is a thread about striking, but it does not refer to the origin (metaphorical, ...) of the word. ;-)


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## apmoy70

In Greek:
«Απεργία» (aper'ʝia _f._); prefix and preposition «ἀπὸ» (ā'pŏ)-->_from, asunder, away, off, finishing, completing, ceasing from, back again_ + neuter noun «ἔργον» ('ĕrgŏn)-->_work, deed, action_; PIE base *werg-, _to work_; «απεργία» lit. the "ceasing from work". Derivatives: «απεργώ» (aper'ɣo)-->_to strike_, «απεργός, -ός» (aper'ɣos _m./f._)-->_striker_. 
PS: The structure of joining together the prefix «ἀπὸ» + verb, in order to express completion or ceasing of an action is common in Greek, i.e. «ἀπὸ» (ā'pŏ) + «ἔχω» ('ĕxō)-->_to have_, gives «απέχω» (a'pexo)-->_to hold oneself off, abstain, desist off_.


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## ThomasK

Thanks, A. An interesting one I picked out at the other thread, is the Japanese 
ストライキ [_sutoraiki],_ which seems to be/ sounds very Japanese, but : 



> Uninterestingly, it is a phonetic approximation of the English _*strike*_.
> 
> The physical collision between two objects (eg, a bat and a ball) uses the same English word but in a different approximation; _sutoraik*u*_.


 
Of course, that reminds us of the fact that strikes depend on modern industry, I guess: in a cultural-historic perspective one could only go on strike within the legal context of 'paid labour', I guess.


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## Orlin

Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian _štrajk _(n.), seems to be a Germanism.


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## ThomasK

Too bad, but while re-reading the other thread, I came across some interesting/ funny explanation of Galician _*folgar*_: 



> "In medieval times, when Portuguese and Galician were one only language, _folgar _meant "to frolic", from the Latin _follicare, _which is the root of modern Spanish words such as _holgazán _(lazybones) and _follar_ (a step further from just a mere frolic) ."


 
I note that in Spanish it is translated as _*huelga* (f) [hacer huelga, estar en huelga], whereas _Galician uses _*folga* (f) [facer folga, estar en folga_], Asturian _*fuelga*_, which seems very similar. 

Finnish uses *Lakko*, based on the verb "lakata" (to stop or to finish), so I read.


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## rusita preciosa

Russian: забастовка /zabastovka/ - seems to be related to Italian "basta!".


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## Saluton

Russian: to strike - *ударять/ударить* (udar*ya*t'/ud*a*rit', imperfective/perfective). It comes from the noun *удар* (ud*a*r) - strike, hit.
"Originates from a Common Slavonic form. Other words coming from the same form: Old Russian, Old Slavonic *оударити* (Greek *κρούειν*), Ukrainian *уда́р*, *ударити*, Czech *úder*, *udeřit*. Connected with *драть* (drat' - "tear, tear off, scrape"), *раздор* (razdor - "enmity, disagreement"); reflects Indoeuropean **dōr-*; compare: Greek *δῆρις* "argument", Ancient Indian *dāras* "crack, chink, hole", *dr̥ṇā́ti* "he splits apart"." That's about all there is to be found, I suppose.


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## Favara

*Catalan:
*Strike = _vaga
_To strike = _fer vaga
_
From _vagar _(to be idle), itself from Latin _vacare_ (same meaning), ultimately from _vacuus_ (empty).


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## rusita preciosa

Saluton said:


> Russian: to strike - *ударять/ударить* (udar*ya*t'/ud*a*rit', imperfective/perfective). It comes from the noun *удар* (ud*a*r) - strike, hit.


Just wanted to add that *ударить* means "to hit / to smack" rather than 'to go on strike".
The verb for "to go on strike" is *бастовать* /bastovat'/


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## ThomasK

This striking/ hitting seems strange. I looked at etymonline.org and found this: 



> "concentrated cessation of work by a body of employees," 1810, from verb meaning "refuse to work to force an employer to meet demands" (1768), from *strike* (v.). Perhaps from notion of _striking_ or "downing" one's tools, or from sailors' practice of _striking_ (lowering) a ship's sails as a symbol of refusal to go to sea (1768), which preserves the verb's original sense of "make level, smooth." (...).


 
We know 'de zeilen strijken' in Dutch too, but _strijken_, ironing, is household work, does not have any relation with striking.


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## bibax

Czech:

*stávkovati* = to strike

from the noun *stávka* (= strike), which is derived from the factitive verb

*staviti* (imperf.), *zastaviti* (perf.) = to stop, to halt something;

All from the IE root *sta-.

Slovak:

*štrajkovať* from the noun *štrajk* (from German: der Streik).


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## bibax

In German also *in den Ausstand treten* from the verb *standen*.


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## Orlin

bibax said:


> Czech:
> 
> *stávkovati* = to strike
> 
> from the noun *stávka* (= strike), which is derived from the factitive verb
> 
> *staviti* (imperf.), *zastaviti* (perf.) = to stop, to halt something;
> 
> All from the IE root *sta-.


I'm not completely sure if this applies to Bulgarian стачка (n.), стачкувам (v.) = strike too. I had no idea about their etymology before reading this post.


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## ThomasK

Interesting parallel with the Dutch _staken_. Could it also be interpreted as suspending? Our _staakt-het vuren_, ceasefire, is not yet an armistice.

Any idea, Rusita, why the word has been inspired by Italian?


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## bibax

Yes.

*zastaviti palbu* = to cease fire;

*zastaviti let* = to cease a flight (an euphemism for _to bring down an aircraft_ used by the communists when the Soviet Air Forces downed the Korean Airlines Flight 007).


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## bibax

Yes.

*zastaviti palbu* = to cease fire;

*zastaviti let* = to cease a flight (an euphemism for _to bring down an aircraft_ used by the communists when the Soviet Air Forces downed the Korean Airlines Flight 007).


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## ThomasK

Hoho, I love those stupid euphemisms (can one call abortion suspension/ interruption of pregnancy ?).


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## Rallino

In Turkish we use a pretty original word for it: _*Grev !*_


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## Orlin

Rallino said:


> In Turkish we use a pretty original word for it: _*Grev !*_


I think it's simply a French loan. My personal opinion is that Turkish has borrowed many words (popular internationalisms and others) as close phonetically as possible to the respective French words and written according to the Turkish orthography, which is almost completely phonetical.


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## Rallino

Orlin said:


> I think it's simply a French loan. My personal opinion is that Turkish has borrowed many words (popular internationalisms and others) as close phonetically as possible to the respective French words and written according to the Turkish orthography, which is almost completely phonetical.



Yes, I was being sarcastic there.


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## ThomasK

Anyone able to comment on the meaning of the following (from the other thread) ? 

- Hebrew: *שביתה *(_shvita_), f. 
- Arab =هجمة (hagma)


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## catlady60

rusita preciosa said:


> Just wanted to add that *ударить* means "to hit / to smack" rather than 'to go on strike".
> The verb for "to go on strike" is *бастовать* /bastovat'/


That's exactly what we need to do to some of those greedy bosses, Rusita: smack them over the heads!


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## Maroseika

One more Russian word for a strike - *стачка*.

Its etymology is not very clear. It maybe from Russian стакнуться - to agree (about a strike) < стакать < такать - to say *так *('yes'), i.e. to arrange for, to come to an agreement. 
Another version is a loan from English _staking_ or Dutch _staken_. 
Influence of tehse foreign words to Rusisan стакать is alos possible.


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## Yulan

Hi Thomask 

In Italian:

_Strike_ = _sciopero _
_To be on strike_ = s_cioperare _

From Latin "Ex-Operari": _ex _(outside, out from) - _operari_ (to work) meaning "to be out from any work activity" "to stop/cease any activity".

Ciao


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## jazyk

In Portuguese: greve, from French grève. Verbs: fazer greve (make strike), entrar em greve (enter into strike), estar em greve (to be in strike), all literal translations.


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## Angelo di fuoco

Orlin said:


> I'm not completely sure if this applies to Bulgarian стачка (n.), стачкувам (v.) = strike too. I had no idea about their etymology before reading this post.



That reminds me that we used to say стачка too, before the italianism became the more widely used expression.


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## ThomasK

Great additions, thanks !


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## Tamar

> Hebrew: שביתה (shvita), f.


*שביתה* is strike - the noun. The root is ש.ב.ת
The verb is *לשבות *[lishbot] - to go on strike, but originally it means to cease work. 
The best example is from the Old Testament where it is said that on the seventh day God ceased all (his) work -

"...*וישבת *ביום השביעי מכל מלאכתו אשר עשה" [va-*yishbot *ba-yom ha-shvi'i mi-kol melachto asher asa]
 "*שבת *מכל מלאכתו"  [shavat mi-kol melakhto] (Genesis 2: 1-3)


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## ThomasK

Perfect. Could we then say that it has to do with suspending, and starting work again afterwards? And can you use it in other contexts like for a cease-fire, as we do in Dutch ?


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## Tamar

> Could we then say that it has to do with suspending, and starting work again afterwards?


Never thought of that, but yes, I think we can say that. 

We can't use לשבות it for "cease-fire". לשבות today is only used in meaning of strike. 
A cease-fire in Hebrew is הפסקת אש [hafsakat esh] 
Here the verb is להפסיק [lehafsik], root פ.ס.ק, which means "to stop".

I think that in the military where "cease fire!" is an order we would say 
"חדל ירי" [khadal yeri], the verb here is לחדול [lakhdol] root ח.ד.ל, also means to cease, to stop, but not commonly used these days (ירי means "shooting").
I'm not sure but I think there's also חדל אש [khadal esh].


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## ThomasK

Tamar said:


> ... the verb here is לחדול [lakhdol] root ח.ד.ל, also means to cease, to stop, but not commonly used these days (ירי means "shooting"). I'm not sure but I think there's also חדל אש [khadal esh].


 
Do I understand  לחדול [lakhdol] root ח.ד.ל contains the root 'shoot'? That seems intriguing to me... 

_(I should not go into this here, but I understand you have two quite different words for 'ceasefire' (one of which is no longer in use..), containing entirely different words for stopping and even for fire.)  _


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## Tamar

We have להפסיק [lehafsik] to stop
לחדול [lakhdol] to cease
לשבות [lishbot] to go on strike

ירי [yeri] shooting   (ירי is "schieten" (? so says MWB...)
אש [esh] fire          (אש  is "vuur")    



> Do I understand לחדול [lakhdol] root ח.ד.ל contains the root 'shoot'?


No, לחדול is simply to cease, has nothing to do with shooting. חדל ירי is a command in the military, I'm pretty sure it's in use, probably in this form alone. 
I meant that the verb לחדול is not so much in use in everyday life, we use להפסיק. 

הפסקת אש [hafsakat esh] is truce.

I hope it's more clear now (?)


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## ThomasK

It certainly is clearer now! 

_But now we ought to _staken/ 'cease' _the discussion about this topic. However, I might be going into some aspect in another thread._


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## Maroseika

Tamar said:


> *שביתה* is strike - the noun. The root is ש.ב.ת
> The verb is *לשבות *[lishbot] - to go on strike, but originally it means to cease work.



The same in Russian - шабашить, пошабашить (to cease the work) < Шабаш! ([shabash] - Stop!, That'll do!).
In Russian it was loaned thru Polish _szabas _from German-Yiddish _Schabbes _- Saturday.


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## rusita preciosa

Maroseika said:


> The same in Russian - шабашить, пошабашить


Really? I only know *шабашить* /shabashit'/ meaning "to moonlight / to work on the side"...


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## Tamar

> The same in Russian - шабашить, пошабашить (to cease the work) < Шабаш! ([shabash] - Stop!, That'll do!).
> In Russian it was loaned thru Polish szabas from German-Yiddish Schabbes - Saturday.


That's great! We now go back to Hebrew, since _*schabbes*_ is nothing more than the Yiddishe pronunciation of Hebrew* שבת shabat*


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## Maroseika

rusita preciosa said:


> Really? I only know *шабашить* /shabashit'/ meaning "to moonlight / to work on the side"...



Really. Just check in Dahl,  Ushakov and Ozhegov.


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## ThomasK

"To moonlight": I diid not know that expression, but is there a link with _shabat_, do you think? _(Not sure I can follow, I am sorry)_


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## rusita preciosa

ThomasK said:


> "To moonlight": I diid not know that expression, but is there a link with _shabat_, do you think? _(Not sure I can follow, I am sorry)_


I don't think so. I think it has to do with a person having the primary job during the day (in sunlight) and a side job in their spare time at night (in moonlight). May be someone can correct me...


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## Maroseika

ThomasK said:


> "To moonlight": I diid not know that expression, but is there a link with _shabat_, do you think? _(Not sure I can follow, I am sorry)_



I don't know whether these two words are connected or just coincide, but the first moonlighters were the members of the Irish Land League, exterminating in the nights crops and cattle of the English landloards.


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## ThomasK

I had found out about the precise meaning, but I'll be interested in hearing more about it, though it is a little beyond our scope, I suppose.


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