Cestras

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Cestras et dexeris vocatur gladiolus herba ut infra in suis locis et cetera.


Apparatus:

Cestras ABCD | cestris Dioscorides Longobardus


Translation:

The herb gladiolus is also called cestras and dexeris as is explained in the appropriate entries below, etc.


Commentary:

Simon’s "cestras", which appears as cestris in the source text, i.e. Dioscorides Longobardus, pp. 18/19, book IV, chapter XXII De xeris, is most likely a ghost word, i.e. the scion of a misread/ misinterpreted/ misremembered word that owes its existence to some infelicity. Cestris is not mentioned anywhere else in the literature except in quotes from Dioscorides Longobardus IV,22. The word could well be nothing more than a corruption of xeris.


See also: Dexeris, Gladiolus, Xifion

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