# Poacher, braconnier



## ThomasK

How do you call the act of catching animals, hunting for animals illegally (and/or the persons who do it), and what is the origin of that word?

Dutch: *stropen *(originally 'to skin', I believe)
English : *poach *(to intrude, I think)
German: *Wilderer *(no precise idea: hunting for wild animals ? Also _schwarzfangen _(catch in black), I read)
French: *braconnier *(referring to bracon, hunting dog, so it seems)


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

«Λαθροθήρας» [laθro'θiras] (masc. & fem.); compound, Classical adv. «λάθρᾳ» ('lātʰrặ)--> _secretly, unbeknown_ (PIE base *lādʰ-, _to be hidden_) + Classical feminine noun «θήρα» ('tʰēră)--> _hunting of wild beasts, prey, game_, from the ancient masculine noun «θὴρ» ('tʰēr)--> _wild beast, beast of prey_ (PIE base *gʰwēr-, _wild, wild animal_; cognate with Lat. _ferus/ferox_, Eng. _fierce_, Fr. _féroce_, Sp. _feroz_).
The poaching/illegal hunting is «λαθροθηρία» [laθroθi'ria] (fem.)


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## rusita preciosa

In Russian it is *браконьер */brakonyer/, the term came from the French language


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## Tamar

In Hebrew there's no specific word for "hunting illegally", there's only one word:

צייד [tsayid] - hunting (n.).

Could be both legal and illegal, you just have to mention which...


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## ilocas2

In Czech poacher is *pytlák*, derived from *pytel* (sack), to poach is *pytlačit*


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## darush

in Persian there is no single word for Poaching but Huniting is _Shekaar _شکار


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## Nizo

In Esperanto, the verb (to poach) is *ŝtelĉasi*, which comes from the roots _ŝtel-_ (steal) and _ĉas-_ (hunt).  The person who does this (i.e. a poacher) is a *ŝtelĉasisto*.


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## Encolpius

*magyar *orvvadász [orv + vadász hunter] or vadorzó [vad wild + orzó] > the origin of the orv-, orzó is unknown according to the dictionary


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## ThomasK

Thanks, Encolpius, but is that the one who hunts illegally? But I suppose it is a typical 'civilisational' word, where nature has become someone's property.


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## Gavril

- Finnish _*salametsästäjä *_"poacher" < _sala- _"secret, clandestine" + _metsästää _"hunt" + agent suffix -_jä_.

If the animals being poached are fish, the term is *salakalastaja*, where the second part of the compound is based on _kalastaa_ "to fish"


- Icelandic *veiðiþjófur *"poacher" < _veiða _"hunt, catch" + _þjófur _"thief"


- Welsh _*herwheliwr *_"poacher" < _herw _"raid, outlaw activity" + _hela _"hunt" + agent suffix -_(i)wr_


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## DenisBiH

ThomasK said:


> How do you call the act of catching animals, hunting for animals illegally (and/or the persons who do it), and what is the origin of that word?



Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian

the act: _krivolov_
the one who does it: _krivolovac_

The word _krivolov _is composed of _kriv(o)_ "wrong; guilty; crooked, curved" and _lov _"hunt". There is no corresponding verb _krivoloviti _though, and_ bespravno loviti_ or _nezakonito loviti_ (both meaning "to hunt illegally" are used)

Ah, yes, there are two more terms:

the act: _lovokrađa_
the one doing it: _lovokradica_

Here, there is _lov _meaning "hunt" again, and _krađa _means "theft".


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## Encolpius

ThomasK said:


> Thanks, Encolpius, but is that the one who hunts illegally? But I suppose it is a typical 'civilisational' word, where nature has become someone's property.



Was that not your question? What does your sentence "where nature has become someone's property" mean? Can you write it in Dutch, maybe it would be more clear....


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## arielipi

In Hebrew we simply say one is illegaly hunting, and we simply call it illegal hunting.
ציד לא חוקי tzayid lo /x/uki = illegal hunting.
צייד ללא רישיון tzayad lelo rishayon = hunter with no license.
צייד לא חוקי = lo /x/uki = illegal hunter.


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## ThomasK

No link with the head, is there (rishayon > rishon) ?


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## arielipi

No they come from different roots i think; even if not, theres no link.


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## AmideLanval

Apparently in Spanish the words "furtivista" and "furtivismo" exist to describe poachers and poaching. I'm not sure how common those terms are compared to "cazador furtivo" (clandestine/illegal hunter)


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## Frank78

ThomasK said:


> German: *Wilderei *(no precise idea: hunting for wild animals ? Also _schwarzfangen _(catch in black), I read)



"Wilderei" is the act, "Wilderer" the person.

It derives from the word "Wild" (game), so basically it means "gaming"


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## ThomasK

Thanks, I was aware of the distinction, but I was unable to find out how to interpret "Wilderei" as I believe that is a nomen actionis, based on some verb... It seems to exist if we can believe Google T...



AmideLanval said:


> Apparently in Spanish the words "furtivista" and "furtivismo" exist to describe poachers and poaching. I'm not sure how common those terms are compared to "cazador furtivo" (clandestine/illegal hunter)


interesting to hear that this "furtive" meaning is expressed by means of an explicit mention, whereas in some other languages there is a specific lexical verb. A "furtivista" might also be a thief, i thought, but that is a ladron. They do have something in common though: the stealthiness, I guess...


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## Terio

ThomasK said:


> How do you call the act of catching animals, hunting for animals illegally (and/or the persons who do it), and what is the origin of that word?
> 
> Dutch: *stropen *(originally 'to skin', I believe)
> English : *poach *(to intrude, I think)
> German: *Wilderer *(no precise idea: hunting for wild animals ? Also _schwarzfangen _(catch in black), I read)
> French: *braconnier *(referring to bracon, hunting dog, so it seems)


In French :

*Braconnier* (fem.* braconnière*) is the person.

*Braconner* is the verb.

*Braconnage* is the action.


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## ThomasK

Encolpius said:


> Was that not your question? What does your sentence "where nature has become someone's property" mean? Can you write it in Dutch, maybe it would be more clear....


If you are still around, @Encolpius: I meant I was looking for the word for poacher. In your contirbution I was not sure whether the words you mentioned referred to hunting illegally. 

My mysterious sentence will sound as mysterious in Dutch: "in een tijd waarin de natuur iemands eigendom is geworden". I meant: privatisation of nature seemed impossible in ancient times. I thought of the famous speech by Chief Seattle, who could not imagine "possessing" the land [in the meantime it has turned out that Seattle or his speech might not be authentic...]. But of course creating and guarding a territory, yes, owning a plot of land (for some time), seemed possible for hunters-collectors, but not selling it... That is what I thought...


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## Welsh_Sion

*Cymraeg/Welsh

herwheliwr*
outlaw-hunt-man
'poacher'

The 'proper' word.

*potsiar* 
'poacher'

The dialectical/colloquial word. (No prizes for guessing its etymology!)


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## ThomasK

When reading he explanation of _herwheliwr_, I feel the urge to explore more Welsh compounds, but that would be a huge side-thread... No way! ;-)


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## Welsh_Sion

Shame on you @ThomasK! I'll lend you GPC for your desert island! 

Dictionary of the Welsh Language | The standard historical Welsh dictionary


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