Lapis in quo acuitur
Lapis in quo acuitur est cos arabice dicitur almesen grece vero alkoni.
Apparatus:
almesen ACD f | almensem B | almēsen e
akconi B | alko͞i e | alkom ACD f {'ni' misread as 'm'}
Translation:
A stone on which things get sharpened or whetted is in Latin cos, in Arabic almesen but in Greek alkom.
Commentary:
Latin cos, gen. cotis is "any hard stone, flintstone; (in partic.) a whetstone, hone, grindstone" (Lewis & Short).
ﺍﻟﻣﺴﻦ /al-misann/. Wehr (1976): ﻣﺴﻦ /misann/ {√snn} "whetstone, grindstone; razor strop".
The Greek word for "whetstone, hone" is ἀκόνη /akónē/, in its medieval pronunciation /akóni/. The "l" in alconi and similar forms is a hypercorrect insertion, most likely through false association with the Arabic article /al/ frequently occurring in loaned and "foreign" medical terms.
Wilf Gunther 11/12/13
See also: Hager almeses, Almesen
