καντάρι

Greek

Etymology

From Byzantine Greek καντάρι (kantári), a reborrowing (possibly through Ottoman Turkish قنطار‎ (kantar)) from Arabic قِنْطَار‎ (qinṭār, “kantar (weight unit)”), from Byzantine Greek κεντηνάριον (kentēnárion), from Latin centēnārium (“hundredweight”), ultimately from Latin centum (“hundred”). See Arabic قِنْطَار‎ (qinṭār) for numerous cognates with the exact same meaning passed via Arabic and Ottoman Turkish throughout the Mediterranean region.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kanˈdaɾi/
Hyphenation: καν‧τά‧ρι

Noun

καντάρι • (kantári) n (plural καντάρια)

(obsolete) kantar, quintal (weight unit equal to 44 okas (οκάδες), in Greece equal to 56.4 kilograms)
τα εκατό καντάρια το ασήμι ― ta ekató kantária to asími ― the hundred kantars of silver
- 1801, Karl Weigel, Λεξικόν Γερμανικόν-Απλορωμαϊκόν:
  εις την φαμπρίκαν αναλούν κάθε χρόνον από εκατόν καντάρια κάρβουνα
  eis tin fampríkan analoún káthe chrónon apó ekatón kantária kárvouna
  in the factory they consume anually a hundred kantars of coal
(figuratively) a moderately large amount
λίγη δράση και πέντε καντάρια έρωτα ― lígi drási kai pénte kantária érota ― some action and a moderately large amount of passion
(kitchenware) scales, balance, especially a vertical spring balance
ηλεκτρονικό καντάρι βαρέως τύπου ― ilektronikó kantári varéos týpou ― high-load electronic balance
Synonyms: ζυγαριά (zygariá), ζυγός (zygós), στατήρας (statíras), στατέρι (statéri)

Declension

declension of καντάρι

case \\ number	singular	plural
nominative	καντάρι •	καντάρια •
genitive	κανταριού •	κανταριών •
accusative	καντάρι •	καντάρια •
vocative	καντάρι •	καντάρια •

Coordinate terms

as an obsolete weight unit (44 okas, 56.4 kg):

δράμι n (drámi, “dram (¹⁄₄₀₀ oka, 3.2 g”)
οκά f (oká, “oka (400 drams, 1.28 kg)”)
τσεκί n (tsekí, “cheki (4 kantars, 225.3 kg)”) (rare)

Derived terms

ένα καντάρι σίδερο, πόσα βελόνια βγάζει; (éna kantári sídero, pósa velónia vgázei?, “an ironic question directed to a know-all”) (literally: "how many needles does a kantar of iron make?")
με έφαγε στο καντάρι (me éfage sto kantári, “I was cheated in a commercial transaction”) (literally: "I was eaten on the weighing scale")
με το καντάρι (me to kantári, “to a very large degree, excessively”) (literally: "by the kantar")
ρίχνει καντάρια (ríchnei kantária, “it's raining cats and dogs”) (literally: "it's pouring kantars [of rain]")

Descendants

⇒ Greek: κανταράκι (kantaráki) (diminutive, refers exclusively to a small weighing scale)
→ Albanian: kandar
→ Aromanian: cãntare, cîntare, cîndare

References

καντάρι - Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], 1998, by the "Triantafyllidis" Foundation.