re: #581 buzzsawmonkey

Thinking about “paynim,” upthread (haven’t thought of that word in years), it occurs to me that it is a near-perfect cognate for the Hebrew “panim” (usually pronounced “punim” with an Ashkenazi accent) which means “face.”

Which suggests that the Arabic—or Hebrew—word for “face” was adopted by the Crusaders to refer, perhaps, to those of darker skin or different physiognomy.

Interesting. Hey Buzz. What is the derivation of the word Ashkenazi? I remember that word from the neighborhood where I grew up in Chicago but have forgotten what it refers to. Is it a geographical area that Jews came from or were associated with?