Tamar

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Tamar arabice dactilus inde tamarindi .i. dactili indi grecus vero oxifenikia et est dictu acetosi dactili supra in oxi.


Translation:

Tamar is the Arabic word for Latin dactilus "date (bot.)", and from the Arabic word is derived the word tamarindus {"tamarind-tree"}, which translates into Latin as dactili indi {"Indian date"}, but in Greek it is oxifenikia, which means in Latin acetosi dactili {"unripe/ sour dates"}. See above under oxifenika.


Commentary:

Wehr (1976): ﺗﻣﺮ /tamr/ "dates, esp. dried ones".

For dactilus see Dactilos.

Tamarindus is indeed of Arabic origin, cf. Wehr, also Siggel (1950: 24): ﺗﻣﺮ ﻫﻨﺪﻰ /tamr hindī/ "tamarind". Its first occurrence in Latin seems to be in a recipe for dissolving phlegm in cattle found in the form "tamarinda" in the Mulomedicina Chironis, 953, ed. Oder (1901: 285); in later literature tamarindus is used.

For oxifenica see above: Oxifenika

The tamarind , Tamarindus indica L., is a tropical evergreen tree that can grow to a height of 25 m. or more. It has long been cultivated outside the tropics and is common nowadays in virtually all subtropical regions. Its seeds are in brown pods and its fruit pulp is used in many food dishes; pulp, seed and seed coat extracts are also used in medicine.

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