adjective/bɛɡ/
stuttering, stammering
Most likely from Old French beguer, from Middle Dutch beggen (“to chat”) (related to beggaert (“one who rattles off prayers”)). This word itself is of uncertain origin, but could possibly be related to spreken (“to speak, tell”), lacking the initial s and r due to some substrate influence.
Rejected or unlikely sources of the Middle Dutch word include beige (“wool color”), but the phonetics don’t fit, and French always had /g/ pronunciation instead of /d͡ʒ/ as in Dutch; Medieval Latin Albigenses
noun, masculine/feminine/bɛɡ/plural: bègues
stutterer, stammerer
Most likely from Old French beguer, from Middle Dutch beggen (“to chat”) (related to beggaert (“one who rattles off prayers”)). This word itself is of uncertain origin, but could possibly be related to spreken (“to speak, tell”), lacking the initial s and r due to some substrate influence.
Rejected or unlikely sources of the Middle Dutch word include beige (“wool color”), but the phonetics don’t fit, and French always had /g/ pronunciation instead of /d͡ʒ/ as in Dutch; Medieval Latin Albigenses