Talk:Sennit

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[edit] Propose renaming article to Sinnet

This word has many spellings, but my sense is that 'sinnet' appears to be the preferred spelling. Both Google matches and the quote below seem to support this:

There are several forms of the word sinnet, among them synet, sennet, sennett, sennit and sinnit. But the older sailors that I have known invariably pronounced the word sinnet; and the early and best nautical authorities — Captain John Smith (1627), Sir Henry Manwayring (1644), Thomas Blanckley (1750), and R.H. Dana (1841) — agree on the spelling as I give it.

Falconer (1769) appears to be responsible for the present dictionary form of the word, sennit, which attempts to derive from seven plus knit. But the sailor is perhaps more familiar with netting than he is with knitting, and I hazard that sin(gle) plus net is a more plausible derivation, and that most derivations are mere guesswork anyway.

—Clifford Ashley, ABOK, p. 471

I propose this article be moved if there are no objections. The blockquote above should probably make its way into the article under a Spelling or Etymology section... --Dfred (talk) 22:43, 10 November 2007 (UTC)