Batin

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Batin apud Dyascoridem multi diptamum vocant.


Apparatus:

Batin f | Batin uel batiti B | Bathin e | Batim AC

dyptamuʒ f | diptamũ e | diptãũ B | dictamen AC


Translation:

Batin according to Dioscorides is a word many people use to name diptamum {"dittany of Crete"}.


Commentary:

The word 'batin' is here mentioned as a synonym to Latin dictamnus, Greek δίκταμνον or δίκταμνος /díktamnon, díktamnos/. The v.l. dictamen used by some witnesses was either confused with Latin dictamen {"saying, promise; command""} or is perhaps reflecting the variant Greek plant name: δίκταμον /díktamon/. All these forms mean acc. to LSJ either the dittany of Crete, Origanum Dictamnus or the bastard dittany, Ballota acetabulosa.

The word batin already appears in its original source literature, cf. Dioscorides Longobardus, 3, 33, ed. Stadler (1899: 392), De diptamnio. Dictamnu multi dicunt puleiu agreste esse aut batin - "Dictamnum many people also call wild 'pulegium' or 'batis'".

Here it would appear to be an accusative form of batis. This word batis – Latin batis, Greek βατίς /batís/ is however normally used for another plant: "rock samphire, Crithmum maritimum L.".

In the original Greek Dioscoridean text, 3, 32, ed. Wellmann (1906-14: II.41-2), βατίς /batís/ is not mentioned as a synonym. The phonetically closest synonym is βαίτιον /baition/ with vv.ll. βέτιον /betion/ and έμβακτρον /embaktron/. Either at some stage the translator confused βατίς /batís/ with βαίτιον /baítion/, or batin is simply a corrupted version of βαíτιον /baítion/.

See Diptamum; cf. also Puleum.


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