Dealing with deal once more --

It's nice to deal in knowledge!  Julian Dyer and Bob Loesch continued
the thread.

Julian Dyer refers to the Oxford English Dictionary that says that
"deal" originates from the Low German word "dele", with similar
meanings in modern Dutch.  In fact, Dutch is a member of the group of
Low German languages.  In contemporary Dutch the word indeed is "deel".

My Dutch etymological dictionary states that "deel" (in the meaning
of "plank") originates from the word "dili" (High German language) and
(Middle Dutch language) "dele".  "Dili" and "dele" not only stood for
"plank", but also for "(planked) floor" and "wall (of planks)".

The card-dealing sense indeed is not connected with "deal" in all its
wood-connected meanings, but there is another link with "deel" in the
meaning of "part of", like a plank is a part of a tree.

In "Das Schreinerbuch" (1899) as well as in "Das Zimmermansbuch"
(1895), both German, we can find how in those days a saw-mill could
split a log (usually with a length 4.5 to 4.6 meters) into parts by
cutting it lengthwise into parallel slices called "Bohlen", "Dielen"
and "Bretter".  If these parts were sawed again, however perpendicular
to the original cut, the results were "Latten" and  "Rahmenschenkel".
In general "Bohlen" were planks of 50 to 100 mm thickness.  Below 50 mm
the term "Diele" was common (in the north of Germany).  This was also
the fact in the south of Germany, but there planks under a thickness of
30 mm were called "Bretter".

The "Schreinerbuch" gives the general measurements of "Dielen" in
those days: length normally 4.5 meter, thickness 12 to 48 mm (in 8
thicknesses), and width 14.5 to 34 centimeter (in 9 sizes).

In the German language, "Diele" (plank) is connected with "Boden"
(floor) in the word "Dielenboden" (planked floor).  The above mentioned
"Zimmermansbuch" gives 6 different types of planked floors, in 13
species, all of them related to specific purposes.

You can have hardwood deal as well as softwood deal.  One example:
oak often is sawed into rather thick planks ("Diele" or "deal") for
drying purposes.

Bob Loesch tells us a nice story from the mid 1700s.  This information
shows that the term "deal" goes back quite a lot and was used to
indicate raw, unfinished softwood.  This goes with the etymological
interpretation of "dele" for (parallel) sawed planks.  If you use
relatively cheap deal (almost) unfinished in furniture parts that
normally are out of sight you can built cheaper furniture.

Jan Kijlstra

 [ My translating German dictionary indicates that 100 years ago
 [ der Schreiner was skilled at joinery or woodworking, der Saeger
 [ and der Saegermueller were sawyers at the mill, and der Zimmermann
 [ was a skilled carpenter.  -- Robbie