Cardellum

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Cardellum exponit Stephanus quod est napum arabice.


Apparatus:

Cardellum AC efjp | Cardelũ B
est om. e
napum arabice | a. n. B
Ms. j has a reference added written by a different hand: vide quod in Sinapis


Translation:

Cardellum, explains Stephanus, is Arabic for Latin napum {"mustard"}.


Commentary and botanical identification:

Stephanus in his Breviarium writes: Napu ... chardelũ [[1]]

napum:
Napu is Stephanus' transcription of Greek νᾶπυ /nâpy/, Latinised napy. νᾶπυ /nâpy/ is a collateral form of σίναπι /sínapi/, σίναπυ /sínapy/ "mustard". Stephanus usually transcribes Greek Υ,υ as "U,u" resulting in napu. The origin of these words is disputed although Egyptian and Old Mediterranean origins are sometimes surmised.

Simon's copyists gave napu a Latin ending: nap-um, possibly mistaking it for a form of Latin napus "a kind of turnip". Although some etymologists see a connection between napy and napus, cf. Genaust p. 409, s.v. nápus, their meanings are quite different, and a form like napum must inevitably have led some medieval readers to misunderstand cardellum to mean "turnip".

Cardellum:
Typically of Stephanus he gives the Arabic word ﺧﺮﺩﻝ /ḫardal/ a Latin shape with an ending –um added; see also Kardel.


WilfGunther 11:14, 5 November 2014 (UTC)


For further information see Sinapi, Napo


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