Reas

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Reas apud Dyascoridem vocatur secunda species papaveris capitulo de mechonio.


Apparatus:

In B this entry is part of the paragraph beginning with Rehan. Reas is not rubricated but marked with capital R.
mechonio AC ef | meconio B p | miconio j


Translation:

Reas is the name given to a second kind of papaver {"poppy"} by Dyascorides in his chapter De mechonio.


Commentary:

The ultimate source Simon alludes to is Dioscorides Longobardus, 4, 60, ed. Stadler (1901: 32), De alio meconio [[1]]: Agrestis {sc. mecon} vero capitello breve habet, semen nigru habens, qui et cepitetis nominatur et a multis reas {vv.ll. rois, reaspis}, "But the wild mecon {"poppy"} has a short {flower-/seed-} head, and black seeds/fruit, which is also called cepitetis and by many reas".

Reas:
Reas is short for Greek μήκων ῥοιάς /mḗkōn rhoiás/, μήκων /mḗkōn/ meaning "poppy, esp. opium poppy, Papaver somniferum"; ῥοιάς /rhoiás/ means primarily "fluid, flaccid, flabby; falling off" and is describing the frail nature of the poppy's flower; cf. 4, 59, ed. Stadler (1901: 31), De meconio: Mecon rias dicta est, qui cicius caret florem - "Mecon rias is so named because it very quickly loses its flower".

Greek ῥοιάς /rhoiás/ is lainised rhoeas, which in the Latin of Simon’s time was pronounced /reas/, in later Greek /riás/, this latter form is attested in Dioscorides Longobardus, see above.

cepitetis:
In the Longobardic text above another synonym, i.e. cepitetis, is mentioned. This is based on a partial misunderstanding; the original Greek text reads: καὶ πιθῖτις /kaì pithîtis/ "{it is called} also pithitis" which the translator read as one word καιπιθῖτις /kaipithîtis/, itacist /kepithítis/.


WilfGunther 30/07/2012


See also Meconium. Mecon


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