Irudo
Irudo sanguisuga latinum est nam grece bdella dicitur.
Apparatus:
sanguisuga AC ef | sanguisuca B
grece bdella dicitur AC | bdela g̃ di~ f | g̃ce bendela dicit~ uel bdella B | grece hella vocatur ms. e
Translation:
Irudo {"leech"} is Latin for sanguisuga {(lit.) "bloodsucker"}, but in Greek it is called bdella.
Commentary:
Hirudo/irudo and sanguisuga both mean "leech" in Latin. According to Ernout (2001: 593) sanguisuga supplanted the word hirudo at the time of Pliny, who still uses both words, cf. 32, 123, ed. Rackham (1938-63: VIII). Here he first speaks of means of stopping bleeding, but then, p. 538, goes on to describe measures of letting blood: diversus hirudinum, quas sanguisugas vocant, ad extrahendum sanguinem usus est - "the opposite use is made of hirudines {'leeches'} - which are {also} called sanguisugae {(lit.) 'blood-suckers'} - where the aim is to extract blood".
The Greek word mentioned is βδέλλα /bdélla/, "leech" or "lamprey".
Wilf Gunther 02/12/13
See also: Sanguisuga, Bdela, Halek
