Bleicherode -> (Blicero) -> Blicker?

[jbor at bigpond.com]

On 01/12/2005 Michael J. Hußmann wrote:

> [...] It is the root
> meaning "brightly shining" that connects "blitz" to "bleich" etc.

Yes, as the online etymology makes clear:

bhel-1
To shine, flash, burn; shining white and various bright colors.

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/roots/zzb01700.html

> The only actual
> example that comes to mind is "verbleichen", which is a euphemistic 
> term
> for dying. It is only used in the forms "verblichen" (died) and 
> "der/die
> Verblichene" (the deceased). Both are considered obsolete and their use
> had always been confined to a rather formal style. [...]

So, in other words, it's quite possible that the morpheme "bleich" or 
"blich" did have an association with "death" in Old German.

The interesting thing is that the early Germanic form of "white" was 
"blaik-". Apparently it went out of use as a term for "white" around 
the 16th C. because of the (obvious) confusion with "black", but both 
"white" and "black" apparently share the same derivation; the common 
signification being the absence of colour (i.e. "blank", cf. Fr. 
"blanc"). Resonances abound, and it makes the switch from Weissman to 
Blicero even more meaningful, and brings back into play all those 
allusions David mentioned in the first place.

best