Mansuemen
Mansuemen greci masticationes vocant Cassius felix.
Apparatus:
Mansuemen e | Mansuemẽ B | Mãsuemẽ AC | Masuinen f {'em' misread as 'in'}
greci (grece f) … uocant B f | g. … vocant (vocat A) AC | greci … von͠t e
Translation:
Mansuemen one says in Greek for mastications, according to Cassius Felix.
Commentary:
Greek μασώμενον /masṓmenon/ is the sg. pres. middle neuter nom. participle of μασάομαι /masáomai/, contracted μασῶμαι /masômai/ meaning "to chew".
The expected transcription would be *masomenon, but the word suffered some corruption in the transmission with a possible corruptive pathway masomenon > *mansoemon > *mansuemon > mansuemen; this latter form can be assumed to be the source form of all the above witnesses.
Simon alludes to Cassius Felix, De medicina, 32, 2, ed. Fraisse (2001: 73) Ad dentium dolorem {"On tooth-ache"}: Etiam et apoflegmatismum masticatorium oportet adhibere, quem Graeci masomenon vocant … - "it is also necessary to apply a preparation, which by chewing is able to loosen and discharge phlegm, a preparation the Greeks call masomenon."
Fraisse, the editor of Cassius Felix, (2001: 73), annotation 242, points out that masticatorius {"by being chewed" (Souter)} < mastico "to chew" is only documented in Cassius Felix.
Wilf Gunther 20/12/13
