Archaic words

[Michael F. Stemper]

At least, I think that's what they are.

I'm reading Fletcher Pratt's _The Well of the Unicorn_, and have
stumbled over "deserion", "deese", and "tercia". From context, I
think that all of them are military terms. Maybe

Searching on-line let me know that the first is obviously a misspelled
"desertion" and the third is a given name in Spanish.

Does anybody here know what these words really mean?

<https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?15607>

[Christian Weisgerber]

Post by Michael F. Stemper
I'm reading Fletcher Pratt's _The Well of the Unicorn_, and have
stumbled over "deserion", "deese", and "tercia". From context, I
think that all of them are military terms. Maybe

Merriam-Webster's Unabriged has this entry:

tercio or tercia : a Spanish or Italian infantry regiment of the
16th and 17th century

(literally "third")

[David Duffy]

Post by Christian Weisgerber

Post by Michael F. Stemper
I'm reading Fletcher Pratt's _The Well of the Unicorn_, and have
stumbled over "deserion", "deese", and "tercia". From context, I
think that all of them are military terms. Maybe

tercio or tercia : a Spanish or Italian infantry regiment of the
16th and 17th century

Yes, 300 men strong. And a deese is most likely a platoon of, I guess,
10 (dix) led by a serjeant (the deserion, which I would gloss as "of
service", as in sergeant), who owes feudal loyalty to a Count. In the case
of Luronne, he is "a very good reasoner...[who] has had the instruction
of the Lyceum of Anne", and Morarday is "captain and deserion to the
Viscount..a Vulking of the war service".

Cheers, David Duffy (who kept getting the Deserion Griffin cartoon)

[Michael F. Stemper]

Post by David Duffy

Post by Christian Weisgerber

Post by Michael F. Stemper
I'm reading Fletcher Pratt's _The Well of the Unicorn_, and have
stumbled over "deserion", "deese", and "tercia". From context, I
think that all of them are military terms. Maybe

tercio or tercia : a Spanish or Italian infantry regiment of the
16th and 17th century

Yes, 300 men strong. And a deese is most likely a platoon of, I guess,
10 (dix) led by a serjeant (the deserion, which I would gloss as "of
service", as in sergeant), who owes feudal loyalty to a Count. In the case
of Luronne, he is "a very good reasoner...[who] has had the instruction
of the Lyceum of Anne", and Morarday is "captain and deserion to the
Viscount..a Vulking of the war service".

Thanks to both of you!

[Don]

Post by David Duffy

Post by Christian Weisgerber

Post by Michael F. Stemper
I'm reading Fletcher Pratt's _The Well of the Unicorn_, and have
stumbled over "deserion", "deese", and "tercia". From context, I
think that all of them are military terms. Maybe

tercio or tercia : a Spanish or Italian infantry regiment of the
16th and 17th century

Yes, 300 men strong. And a deese is most likely a platoon of, I guess,
10 (dix) led by a serjeant (the deserion, which I would gloss as "of
service", as in sergeant), who owes feudal loyalty to a Count. In the case
of Luronne, he is "a very good reasoner...[who] has had the instruction
of the Lyceum of Anne", and Morarday is "captain and deserion to the
Viscount..a Vulking of the war service".

The enigma excursively expands. Entertain, if you will, a six sample
survey stating "deese" is not a Scrabble word:

<https://www.thewordfinder.com/define/deese>

Yet, "deese" is found in the _Sailor's Word-Book_ (1867):

DEESE. An east-country term for a place where herrings are dried.

<https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=deese>

Danke,

--
Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php
telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

[Kevrob]

Post by Don

Post by David Duffy

Post by Christian Weisgerber

Post by Michael F. Stemper
I'm reading Fletcher Pratt's _The Well of the Unicorn_, and have
stumbled over "deserion", "deese", and "tercia". From context, I
think that all of them are military terms. Maybe

tercio or tercia : a Spanish or Italian infantry regiment of the
16th and 17th century

Yes, 300 men strong. And a deese is most likely a platoon of, I guess,
10 (dix) led by a serjeant (the deserion, which I would gloss as "of
service", as in sergeant), who owes feudal loyalty to a Count. In the case
of Luronne, he is "a very good reasoner...[who] has had the instruction
of the Lyceum of Anne", and Morarday is "captain and deserion to the
Viscount..a Vulking of the war service".

The enigma excursively expands. Entertain, if you will, a six sample
<https://www.thewordfinder.com/define/deese>
DEESE. An east-country term for a place where herrings are dried.
<https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=deese>
Danke,

Without the extra "e" "dese" are things closer than "dose."

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by Kevrob

Post by Don

Post by David Duffy

Post by Christian Weisgerber

Post by Michael F. Stemper
I'm reading Fletcher Pratt's _The Well of the Unicorn_, and have
stumbled over "deserion", "deese", and "tercia". From context, I
think that all of them are military terms. Maybe

tercio or tercia : a Spanish or Italian infantry regiment of the
16th and 17th century

Yes, 300 men strong. And a deese is most likely a platoon of, I guess,
10 (dix) led by a serjeant (the deserion, which I would gloss as "of
service", as in sergeant), who owes feudal loyalty to a Count. In the case
of Luronne, he is "a very good reasoner...[who] has had the instruction
of the Lyceum of Anne", and Morarday is "captain and deserion to the
Viscount..a Vulking of the war service".

The enigma excursively expands. Entertain, if you will, a six sample
<https://www.thewordfinder.com/define/deese>
DEESE. An east-country term for a place where herrings are dried.
<https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=deese>
Danke,

Without the extra "e" "dese" are things closer than "dose."

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