Ami

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Ami Plinius capitulo de cimino est inquit cimino simillimum quod greci vocant ami. Crates vero regium appellat videlicet quod efficacius in egypto iudicavit, plerique alterius nature in totum putant quoniam sit exilius et candidius: similis autem ei cum cimino usus namque et panibus alexandrinis subiicitur et cum alimentis interponitur et cetera.


Apparatus:

Ami | Amij f

{Plinius} ĩ {= in} add. B e

est inquit cimino om. f

inquit | ĩquid p

simillimũ A | similimũ C e | similimuʒ (-mũ B jp) B fjp

{greci} vocant om. f

Crates ABC efjp | Hippocrates Pliny

regium | region B

appellat AC fjp | appellant ms. e | vocãt B {Crates misinterpreted by B and e as a plural}

efficacius (-us fp) A efp | efficatius (-us B) BC j

egypto AC p | egipto B efj

putant | puta vt AC {= putant, 'nt' misread as 'ut'}

{cum} cimino {-miõ B e) AB efp | cĩmio C {printer's error < cimĩo } | cymino j

alexandrinis | allexandrinis ms. e

subicit~ C e | subiicit~ AB (f?)jp | subditur Pliny

alimentis ABC efjp | condimentis Pliny

etcetera om. ef


Translation:

Ami: Plinius in the chapter de cimino {"On cumin"} says that this is a plant very similar to ciminum {"cumin"}, and the Greeks call it ami. But <Hippo>crates calls it "royal", obviously because he judged it to be more efficacious {if grown} in Egypt. Many people do however think that it is of a totally different nature {from cumin}, because it is smaller and lighter. The {medical and culinary} use of it is also similar to ciminum, because it is put under the loaves baked in Alexandria and it is added to foods.


Commentary:

Greek ἄμι /ámi/ or ἄμμι /ámmi/ "ajowan" is generally seen as a loan from Old Egyptian. The name was Latinised ami or ammi or amium.

Also a synonym is mentioned: regium {sc. ciminum or a(m)mi} "royal {cumin or am(m)i}", a calque on Greek βασιλική /basilikḗ/, see Basilicen, Ameos.

This is a near-verbatim excerpt from Pliny [Loeb], vol. VI, book XX, p. 96, chapter lviii, § 163. In the previous chapter, i.e. chapter lvii, Pliny speaks of the different kinds of cumin and in the relevant chapter lviii he mentions that ami is very similar to cumin.

Pliny as well as Dioscorides have excerpted much of their information from the same source. Presumably at one time this entry and the entry Ameos were combined in a single entry: *Am(m)i, but the chance adoption of the genitival form Ameos in the Dioscoridean excerpt and alphabetisation were the motive for separating the two paragraphs.


Botanical identification:

Most authors, e.g. Berendes quoting Sprengel, André, Beck, agree that ἄμι /ámi/ or ἄμμι /ámmi/ can be identified with Trachyspermum ammi Sprague, syns. Carum copticum (L.) Benth. & Hook. and Ammi copticum L., also known as "ajowan" {< Hindi ajvan} or "bishop's weed" [[1]]. It is a native of the Near East.

Other identifications are e.g.: Daems, p. 106, 28. Ameos, who offers two candidates: Ammi majus L. [[2]] and the previously mentioned C. copticum.

Berendes alternatively quotes Fraas who sees Ammi visnaga (L.) Lam., "toothpick weed", in it [3]].

WilfGunther 20:54, 28 May 2015 (BST)


See also: Ameos, Ciminum agreste

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