duinewasseln.

Etymology: Apparently < Scottish Gaelic duine uasal relative of the clan chief, member of the nobility (18th cent. or earlier, although the corresponding Irish phrase is attested from the 15th cent.) < duine human being (especially male) (Early Irish duine human being) + uasal noble, high-ranking (Early Irish úasal high, tall, high-ranking). Some forms probably show remodelling of the second element after vassal n. and adj. (compare especially Scots forms at that entry).Further etymology. Early Irish duine is cognate with Welsh dyn human being (in later use especially male) < a Celtic base cognate with or formed similarly to ancient Greek χθόνιος of the earth (see chthonian adj.); compare the similarly-formed Germanic base of gome n.¹ Early Irish úasal is cognate with Welsh uchel high, tall, high-ranking < a suffixed form of the Celtic base of Early Irish ós , Welsh uch , both adverbs in sense ‘above’ < an ablaut variant of the same Indo-European base as ancient Greek ὕψι above (see hypsi- comb. form). Variant forms. Also frequently hyphenated and occasionally as two words, especially where the form of the first element resembles its etymon Scottish Gaelic duine . In the form duine uasal, which directly reflects the Scottish Gaelic phrase, usually as two words. In forms with initial dh- ultimately after inflected forms (with initial mutation) in Scottish Gaelic, such as the vocative; in English, this spelling is probably sometimes used erroneously or arbitrarily (to mark the word as alien).