The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 13.0256  Wednesday, 30 January 2002

From:           Robin Hamilton <
 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 >
Date:           Tuesday, 29 Jan 2002 16:49:26 -0000
Subject: 13.0219 Re: Distinctions
Comment:        Re: SHK 13.0219 Re: Distinctions

> From:           Gabriel Egan <
 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 >

> Anybody know what a "fyemarten" is? (OED doesn't seem to have it
> under any spelling I can find.)

Just a guess -- freemartin?

OED2 avers,

A hermaphrodite or imperfect female of the ox kind: see quot. 1790.

1681 Lond. Gaz. No. 1651/4 The Heifer ... is supposed to be Spaied, or
else
a Free-Martin.
1779 J. Hunter in Phil. Trans. LXIX. 279 Account of the Free-martin.
1790 T. Bewick Hist. Quadrupeds (1807) 28 When a Cow happens to bring
forth
two calves-one of them a male, the other a female,-the former is a
perfect
animal, but the latter is incapable of propagation, and is well known to
farmers under the denomination of a Free Martin.
1856 Farmer's Mag. Jan. 56 Freemartins and Spayed Heifers are not
qualified.

Robin Hamilton.

(Sorry -- this is deep in the Ghetto.  Sturgeon?  One of the
_Astounding_ crew used it somewhere.  Which is how come I hit on it. R2)

_______________________________________________________________
S H A K S P E R: The Global Shakespeare Discussion List
Hardy M. Cook, 
 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 
The S H A K S P E R Webpage <http://ws.bowiestate.edu>

DISCLAIMER: Although SHAKSPER is a moderated discussion list, the
opinions expressed on it are the sole property of the poster, and the
editor assumes no responsibility for them.