# Legs (of ...)



## ThomasK

We humans have legs, *benen *in Dutch (sg. _*been*_). But animals with us have *poten *(sg. *poot*), except for the horse, which seems to be that noble that we refers to its *benen*. And tables, chairs, also have poten, not benen. 

Now, in German, I was just told: both humans and animals have Beine (sg. Bein), even ducks, etc., but only cats and dogs [animals with less status ???] have *Pfote *(sg. _*Pfot*_). Even tables and chairs have Beine!

So: what are your words for those legs? Do you distinguish between human, animal and object 'legs'? 

_(Thanks in advance, once again)_


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## Montesacro

*In Italian:

*Humans have _gambe_ (singular _gamba_), whilst animals (all animals) have _zampe_ (singular _zampa_).

Colloquially, especially if one wants to be jocular, one can use _gambe_ for animals and _zampe_ for humans.

Objects have _gambe_ as well, but also _zampe_ can be used: le _gambe/zampe _di una sedia ("the legs of a chair").


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## DearPrudence

> We humans have legs, *benen* in Dutch (sg. *been*). But animals with us have *poten* (sg. *poot*), except for the horse, which seems to be that noble that we refers to its *benen*. And tables, chairs, also have poten, not benen.


*French* is almost like Dutch then:
humans + horses: *une jambe* / des jambes (_a leg / legs_)
animals: *une patte* / des pattes (_paw_)
other animals :
frogs: *une cuisse* / des cuisses (_thigh_) (une cuisse de grenouille)
venison: *un cuissot*
veal: *un cuisseau*

Furniture : *un pied* (_foot_)
ex : un pied de table / un pied de chaise


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## ThomasK

INcrédible!;-) Mais... don't tables need legs as well to stand? ;-)

But I wonder whether _les cuisses _fit in here, because I think they strictly refer to a part of the _pattes _(a more delicious part ;-)). We have _kikkerpoten _(but uncommon, I admit), and indeed, _*kikkerbillen *_(_cuisses de grenouilles_) are the main part of them, but at least the cute little feet of our jumping swimmers have been cut off, haven't they?


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## DearPrudence

Oh yes, *frogs *have "*pattes*" as well.
http://infovisual.info/02/026_fr.html
It's just that "frog's leg" is translated as "cuisse de grenouille" (& I can't help you more on this because I've never eaten or seen any frogs' legs in my entire life!!)

As for the "*pied de table*", I'm afraid that's the only word we've got: I suppose tables just have big feet 
Examples here:
_Table bassette. __Petite table reposant sur des pieds pliants qu'on dispose devant soi et qui permet d'écrire, de lire au lit. _
_Table à repasser. __Planche étroite (munie généralement d'une jeannette) montée sur des pieds qui peuvent se rabattre et qui est spécialement conçue pour repasser le linge. 
Table à dessin. Planche de grande dimension posée sur des pieds réglables qui permettent de donner à celle-ci une inclinaison variable. _


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## ThomasK

I did not realize it was called_* frog('s) legs *_in English, you're right. And tables have big feet: great!


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> ...
> So: what are your words for those legs? Do you distinguish between human, animal and object 'legs'?
> 
> _(Thanks in advance, once again)_


No we don't. Humans, animals, objects, all have «πόδια» ('poðja, _pl. nom. neuter_).

Noun «πόδι/πόδια» ('poði [sing. nom. neuter]/'poðja, [pl. nom. neuter]). Derives from the Classical one «πούς/ποδός» ('pous [sing. nom. masculine]/pŏ'dŏs [sing. gen. masculine]), which gave the diminutive «πόδιν» ('pŏdīn [sing. nom. neuter]). PIE base *ped-/*pod-, _foot_.


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## ThomasK

I suddenly realize that _foot/ v_oet and _poot _resemble one another, but apparently there is no etymological link (whereas it seems fairly logical to me: metonymical link seems quite plausible).


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## Maroseika

Russian words are:
нога (noga) - leg
ножка (nozhka) - dimin. of leg
лапа (lapa) - paw
лапка (lapka) - dimin. of paw

Humans have legs or colloq. paws. Hands also can be called paws.
Firtree also have paws, because its branches look like wide hands.

Many animals and brids also have legs.
But extremities of some animals are also called paws - mostly those who have well developed hands (cats, dogs, rabbits, foxes and many others).

Big birds have legs, small bids have dimin. legs and dim. paws.

Furniture has dimin. legs.

Something mounted on a single stick has dimin. leg (singular).


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## bibax

In Czech there is only one general word for all kinds of legs (human, all animals including insect and gastropods, tables, chairs, even mushrooms):

*noha* (fem., plur. nohy), dim. nožka and nožička;

A peculiarity: for the human legs (as well as for hands, eyes, ears, shoulders, knees, etc.) we use fossilized dual forms instead of the plural forms used for animal and object legs despite of the fact that the dual number disappeared during the 14th century.

There are also words meaning _paw_ (tlapa, tlapka, pracka), childish words (pacinka), hunters' slang words (běh) and general slang words (haksna, habrůvka), however they are not suited for general context.

Czech also does not distinguish between leg and foot.


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## ThomasK

That reminds me of _*foot/ feet*_. That kind of plural has been retained in some words only in English...


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## bibax

Are you sure? In German: der Fuß - die Füße, isn't it the same kind of the plural umlaut.


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## ThomasK

Yes, it is, but in German it remained productive for a longer time, and is still common in lots of words, whereas in English the number amounts to max. 50 (I think less): _mice, geese, lice_, ... It is interesting that somehow you do distinguish. When do you use those particular words then?


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## TitTornade

ThomasK said:


> INcrédible!;-) Mais... don't tables need legs as well to stand? ;-)



In some part of France (e.g. Lorraine) the legs of furnitures can be called "patte" (i.e. "paw") and not "pied" (i.e. "foot"). 
But it is certainly a regionalism... Once, I was in Marseille in a furniture shop to buy some "pattes de lit" ("paws for my bed")... The shopkeeper opened wide eyes, wondering what I wanted to buy: it was in regular French : "pied de lit"...   And I didn't know it


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## bibax

> Yes, it is, but in German it remained productive for a longer time, and is still common in lots of words, whereas in English the number amounts to max. 50 (I think less): mice, geese, lice, ...


I didn't understand you well. I understand that only English has retained this type of plural.


> It is interesting that somehow you do distinguish. When do you use those particular words then?


In Czech we say, for instance:

Lovec stál na *nohou* (dual)... = The hunter was standing on _feet_...

...zatímco medvěd stál na zadních *nohách* (plural). = ...whilst the bear was standing on back _feet_.

Stůl stojí na čtyřech *nohách* (plural). = The table stands on four _legs_.

However many people often violate this rule.


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## sakvaka

*Finnish*:

_Jalka_ (_jalan, jalkaa_) is the usual and safest choice for legs/feet, also for furniture (_pöydän jalka_). Frogs, hens and ducks can have two or four _koipi_ (_koiven, koipea_) which usually include the fleshy part: _kanankoipi_ 'drumstick'. A dog can also have four _kinttu_ (_kintun, kinttua_), but that's a slightly rare expression. And finally, _ketara_ (_ketaran, ketaraa_) is also possible eg. when referring to reindeer, but it's very rare and more often used in colourful expressions such as _ketarat ojossa_ 'legs lifted straight up when lying on the ground'.

All of them can be used for people, usually to achieve a funny impression. _Älä työnnä niitä kinttujasi tänne!_ _Pidä ne koipesi omalla puolellasi._ (spoken: _Piä ne koipes omalla puolellas!_)


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## AutumnOwl

_*Swedish: *_humans, animals, birds and furniture have_* ett ben eller flera ben *_(one leg or several legs), that end in a _fot_ (foot = human), _tass_ (paw = cats, dogs), _labb_ (fin = seals, but can also be used for large dog paws and human hands), _hov_ (hoof = horses etc), _klöv_ (hoof = cows, pigs), _klo_ (claw = birds), sometimes furniture can have a_ lejontass_ (lion's paw) as an ending.


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## ThomasK

Just by the way: if we in Dutch use _poot _instead of _leg_, then we might be trying to be funny, but in general it is an insult, a dysphemism. 

In Swedish I notice the same separate treatment of cats' and dogs' paws as in German. How come, Mr AutumnOwl, do you know? Are those popular creatures so different from the others? And are we the only ones to consider horse legs more noble ?


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## AutumnOwl

_Tass_ is not used only for all the members of the cat and dog species, everyone from the house cat to the tiger have _tassar_, but also mice, squirrels, bears, pandas, rabbits and so on have _tassar_, as long as there are soft pads on their feet. Well, the bear's forelegs/paws are also calle _ram_. In Swedish odd-toed ungulates such as horses, donkeys, zebras, rhinos and tapirs have _hovar_, while even-toed ungulates such as cows, pigs, deer, giraffes have klövar. As for the horses legs being more noble than the legs of other odd-toed ungulates, well, how often do you see a rhino or a tapir in Europe (outside a zoo)?

/Ms AutumnOwl


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## ThomasK

(Scusi, signora AutumnOwl !)

I see, then there is some difference from German. We know animals with _hoeven _and _klauwen _in Dutch, but they do not give rise to different names of legs. I cannot associate any Dutch word with _tassar_, but could _rams _be related to arms?

As for horses and their _benen_: I think rhinos would never have that superstatus as they're way too big and not that... athletic, I think...


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## Frank78

ThomasK said:


> Now, in German, I was just told: both humans and animals have Beine (sg. Bein), even ducks, etc., but only cats and dogs [animals with less status ???] have *Pfote *(sg. _*Pfot*_). Even tables and chairs have Beine!



Cats and dogs have "Beine" as well. "Pfoten" (singular: Pfote) are their feet.

All land mammals have "Pfoten" except primates and ungulate (those with hooves).


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## ThomasK

This is amazing, thanks. I thought I had understood, but now things turn out to be different, or to some extent at least. But then 'Pfoten' are their feet! ;-) That is quite different from Dutch: the animals' _poten _are the legs including their 'feet', but we'll never refer to them as 'feet', only as claws (_klauwen_) or hoeven (_hooves_). But then cows do not have any. I think I'll ask the question again, but starting from feet now! It seems to become that difficult, just to see all the distinctions....


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## Orlin

In Bulgarian _крак_ is used for both people and animal leds.


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