Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site osiris.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!osiris!jcp From: jcp@osiris.UUCP (Jody Patilla) Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Re: where did the 'B' come from? Message-ID: <319@osiris.UUCP> Date: Mon, 13-May-85 13:43:18 EDT Article-I.D.: osiris.319 Posted: Mon May 13 13:43:18 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 16-May-85 02:27:54 EDT References: <419@cvl.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: Johns Hopkins Hospital Lines: 16 > I've been wondering for a while what the entymology of the name "Bill" is. > I can see Will deriving from William, but where'd the 'B' come from? > > -eli I suspect it comes from the old Teutonic, wherein Wilhelm is pronounced as with a "v" and not with a "w". Etymologically speaking, v tends toward b over time, so that the name which sounded like "Villy" eventually became "Billy". Now, what I want to know, is how they got "Peggy" out of Margaret. -- jcpatilla "'Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill !'"