Talk:Bombast von Hohenheim

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English bombast "cotton" is recorded in the 16th century, it is a corruption of Middle Latin bombax, bombix (Italian bombace), from bombyx "silk; cotton", βόμβυξ "silk worm" -- This does not explain the byname Bombast of a 13th-century Swabian nobleman, especially as the form in -st seems to arise exclusively in English. MHG has bombasîn "cotton", from bombycinum (apparently corrupted to wammasîn etc. and a source of gambeson), but the -t is missing. It is tempting to compare Baumbast "tree bark", but this is a modern word. I could find no further information on this. There seems to be an unrelated English bumbaste "to beat" (i.e. "beat on the bum", as lambast = "to beat lame"), but the verb here is Scandinavian (ON beysta "to beat") and also has no place in medieval Swabia. --dab (𒁳) 07:37, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

It turns out the name is first recorded as Bambast or Banbast. Still quite inscrutable, but this may open up more possibilities, maybe a personal name in Band-, but the -bast is peculiar for a German name. --dab (𒁳) 08:09, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

Finally found an opinion on this, "Baumbast" ("tree bast") after all ("Bagms, buost, gotisch bastus"), published in the 1920s. This is a dodgy source, and the explanation doesn't have to be true at all ("Gothic bastus" does not seem to exist), but at least Baumbast "has been suggested". Fwiiw, bâm-bast could conceivably be MHG for "tree bast", the problem is that (a) the term does not appear to be attested anywhere prior to 1700 or so and (b) there is no obvious reason this should be used as a personal name, there is no custom of Swabian noblemen naming themselves after random utilities or produce. --dab (𒁳) 08:29, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

Coat of Arms
Th first paragraph of this article describes the coat of arms. But the coat of arms would almost certainly be emblazoned in Swabian or German, not badly scrambled (and unreferenced) English.


 * Their coat of arms was blazoned Or on a bend azure three balls argent.

Here is the Deutch (German) version about this family coat of arms:


 * Wappen der Bombast von Hohenheim
 * Das Wappen zeigt in Gold einen mit drei silbernen Kugeln (Ballen) belegten blauen Schrägrechtsbalken. Auf dem Helm mit blau-goldenen Decken ein blau gestulpter goldener Hut, belegt mit dem Schrägbalken und besteckt mit einem schwarzen Hahnenfederbusch.


 * /de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombast_von_Hohenheim_(Adelsgeschlecht)#Die_Wiederverwendung_des_Namens_und_Wappens_der_.E2.80.9EBombast_von_Hohenheim.E2.80.9C_durch_das_Haus_W.C3.BCrttemberg.

My German is very limited, and I have to rely on the help of an online translation, which is inadequate. But it seems to confirm that the English introductory paragraph about the family coat of arms is junk.

GeeBee60 (talk) 14:59, 29 August 2017 (UTC)

Yes, it is my amateurish attempt to render the blazon you cite in English blazon-speak. Please feel welcome to help me fix it. The German describes the shield as:
 * "On a golden field, a blue diagonal band with three silver balls"

This is primarily needed to identify the tinctures, as the design of the coa is perfeclty evident from the image provided. We read that the field is gold, the bend is blue and the balls are silver. Please help me understand how it is "badly scrambled" to translate this as Or on a bend azure three balls argent? Are you complaining about the term "ball"? --dab (𒁳) 14:04, 22 December 2017 (UTC)