De'vID:
So is there an etymological relationship between {vIl} (n.) and {vIlle'} or not? It seems natural to interpret {vIlle'} as {vIl le'}, a special {vIl}, but maybe they're independent words and the resemblance is a coincidence.
On 2 May 2017 at 10:07, Anthony Appleyard <a.appleyard@btinternet.com> wrote:
Unless Marc Okrand back-formed {vil} (noun) from {ville'}
Or the other way around. Out-of-universe, there are 3 scenarios: 1) He wanted a word for "minion", made the "filet mignon" pun, and back-formed {vIl} from {vIlle'} [= {vIl} + {le'}] 2) He always sees a guy named "Phil" who's just there wherever he is for random reasons, made {vIl}, thought of the "[Phil]let mignon" pun, and formed {vIlle'}. 3) They're unrelated. There's precedent for {vIl} being "Phil". The word {pe'vIl} was named for twins named Pat and Phil. In-universe, if a {vIlle'} is a special {vIl}, then perhaps that gives us some insight into the meaning of {vIl}: someone (or something) who's always following you around, or just happens to show up wherever you are, but not for any special reason (like a minion would). -- De'vID