𐤒𐤔𐤀
Punic
Etymology
Akin to Arabic قِثَّاء (qiṯṯāʾ, “cucumber”).
Pronunciation
- (6th BCE Punic): IPA(key): /kʼissuːʔ/
- (2th BCE Late Punic): IPA(key): /kʼissyːʔ/
- (2th CE Neo-Punic): IPA(key): /kʼissy/
Noun
𐤒𐤔𐤀 (qšʾ /qiššūʾ/) m
- cucumber
- 40 CE – 90 CE, Dioscorides, De Materia Medica interpolations believed to be from Pamphilos, s. v. σίκυς ἄγριος 3.59::
- σίκυς ἄγριος· [οἱ δὲ ἐλατήριον, οἱ δὲ γρυνόν, οἱ δὲ βαλ‹αν›ίς, οἱ δὲ σύγκρισις, οἱ δὲ βουβάλιον, οἱ δὲ σκορπίον,] οἱ δὲ φέρομβρον, [οἱ δὲ πευκέδανον, οἱ δὲ νότιον, Ῥωμαῖοι ἀγγουίνουμ, οἱ δὲ κουκούμερε‹μ› ῥούστικουμ, οἱ δὲ ἀγρέστεμ, Ἄφροι κισσου μεζρα (mss. var. κουσσιμεζάρ, κουσί μεζαρ).]
- síkus ágrios; [hoi dè elatḗrion, hoi dè grunón, hoi dè bal‹an›ís, hoi dè súnkrisis, hoi dè boubálion, hoi dè skorpíon,] hoi dè phérombron, [hoi dè peukédanon, hoi dè nótion, Rhōmaîoi angouínoum, hoi dè koukoúmere‹m› rhoústikoum, hoi dè agréstem, Áphroi kissou mezra (mss. var. koussimezár, kousí mezar).]
- σίκυς ἄγριος· [οἱ δὲ ἐλατήριον, οἱ δὲ γρυνόν, οἱ δὲ βαλ‹αν›ίς, οἱ δὲ σύγκρισις, οἱ δὲ βουβάλιον, οἱ δὲ σκορπίον,] οἱ δὲ φέρομβρον, [οἱ δὲ πευκέδανον, οἱ δὲ νότιον, Ῥωμαῖοι ἀγγουίνουμ, οἱ δὲ κουκούμερε‹μ› ῥούστικουμ, οἱ δὲ ἀγρέστεμ, Ἄφροι κισσου μεζρα (mss. var. κουσσιμεζάρ, κουσί μεζαρ).]
- 300 CE – 400 CE, Pseudo-Apuleius, Herbarium interpolations from interpolated versions of Dioscorides s. v. Sicydes agria:
- Graeci elaterion, grynon, balis, bubalion, scorpion, ferombron, peucedanon, notion, Latini anguineum (var. anguinum), cucumerem agrestem, cucumerem silvaticum, profetae haema ictinos, Punici cissu mezra (mss. var. cumsisezar, cussimezara).
Derived terms
- 𐤒𐤔𐤀 𐤌𐤆𐤓𐤏 (qšʾ mzrʿ /qiššūʾ məzraʿ/, “squirting cucumber”)
Descendants
- Proto-Berber: *ā-ɣissīm
- Central Atlas Tamazight: taɣəššimt
- Northern Saharan Berber: taɣəssimt
- Tuareg: taɣəssimt
References
- Blažek, Václav (2014), “Etymologizing ‘unetymologizable’ Greek dendronyms”, in Graeco-Latina Brunensia, volume 19, issue 1, page 42
- Blench, Roger (2018), “Relating linguistic reconstructions of plant names in Berber to the archaeobotany of North Africa”, in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, volume 38, issue 103009, published 2021, DOI:, Table 12 and 13, page 10 of the draft and 8 of the issue
- Krahmalkov, Charles R. (2000), “QŠʾ”, in Phoenician-Punic Dictionary (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta; 90), Leuven: Uitgeverij Peeters en Departement Oosterse Studies Leuven, →ISBN, page 435
- Löw, Immanuel (1881) Aramæische Pflanzennamen (in German), Leipzig: Wilhelm Engelmann, page 407