gillyweed in gillywater?

[Audra1976 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 52418

In a message dated 18/02/2003 01:23:02 Eastern Standard Time, 
catlady at wicca.net writes:
> I looked it up and "gillyflower" is pronounced "jillyflower" (one 
> source said it was named after the month July, supposed to be when 
> they bloom). I'm sure that "gillyweed" is pronounced like the gills 
> it makes the person grow. If JKR knows that gillyflower is pronounced 
> 

Me:

Maybe gillyweed and gillywater are not related.

According to my dictionary, which is Webster's International Dictionary, the 
first definition of "gill" is (dial. Brit.) a half pint, and the second 
definiton is (dial. Brit.) to sip an (alcoholic) beverage.  A "gillie" is 
(Scot.) a gill of liquor, (dial.) a stupid person, or (dial.) a woman of easy 
virtue (I would guess these are both associated with the consumption of 
alcohol).  All these have a *soft* "G" pronunciation.

Now I've always taken gilly*weed* to be pronounced with a hard "G" because it 
makes you grow the kind of gills that are pronounced with a hard "G."  But 
the drink, gilly*water*, may be derived from the other definition that has to 
do with liquor.  So it could be (hard "G") gillyweed and (soft "G") 
gillywater.  Make sense?

Audra


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