Asfaltos

Asfaltos dicit grecus nos aspaltum.

Translation:

The Greek says asfaltos and we say aspaltum.

Commentary:

Greek ἄσφαλτος /ásphaltos/ "asphalt, bitumen, (a kind of) petroleum, pitch", was adopted into Latin as asphaltus. There were a number of variants of the word in medieval Latin, e.g. aspaltum, aphaltum (Latham 1973). The originally Greek sound combination /sph-/ is sometimes rendered by Simon as /sp-/, cf. his entry Spagnos < Greek σφάγνος /sphágnos/.

For further information see Aspaltum, also: Bitumen iudaicum, Kafraryeudi, Nafra

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