I was always under the impression that the word binge was a norse or Scandinavian loan word. To my surprise, when actually looking in an English etymology dictionary, it’s commonly believed to originate from a Lestershire word, to soak. I don’t believe that.
In old Swedish sources (15th century) the word is used to describe a large bundle or a large amount of something. Later it was used to describe a large amount of grain in a wooden bin or compartment, like on a ship. An old slang term, from seafarers and later southern Stockholm, for bed was binge, maybe since you could sneak in a nap in the grain binge.
If I’m correctly informed, the word has the same original meaning in Norwegian (and hence probably in Danish) and is today used to describe a large enclosed place for storage, used for example in kompostbinge (compost bin).
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Swede:
May 23rd, 2021 at 7:55 am
I was always under the impression that the word binge was a norse or Scandinavian loan word. To my surprise, when actually looking in an English etymology dictionary, it’s commonly believed to originate from a Lestershire word, to soak. I don’t believe that.
In old Swedish sources (15th century) the word is used to describe a large bundle or a large amount of something. Later it was used to describe a large amount of grain in a wooden bin or compartment, like on a ship. An old slang term, from seafarers and later southern Stockholm, for bed was binge, maybe since you could sneak in a nap in the grain binge.
If I’m correctly informed, the word has the same original meaning in Norwegian (and hence probably in Danish) and is today used to describe a large enclosed place for storage, used for example in kompostbinge (compost bin).