Role Vladimíra Šmilauera v etymologickém slovníku Václava Machka

Abstract

This study examines both the quantitative and qualitative contribution of Vladimír Šmilauer to Václav Machek’s etymological dictionary. Appointed scientific referee, Šmilauer wrote lengthy evaluations for both editions of the dictionary, which contained hundreds of notes and suggestions for improving individual entries. In our paper we classify these comments into several groups, working mainly with the criterion of the nature of the comments (i.e. whether they concern the forms and/or meanings of words given in the entry, or the interpretation of the origin of the word) and the criterion of the acceptance of the suggestions by Machek (roughly on the axis of acceptance – alternative interpretation – rejection). Šmilauer’s reviews provide some hitherto unknown interpretations of Czech and Slovak words, and may thus stimulate further reflection on the origin of them.