πάστη

Forms

πάστη (pástē) f (genitive πάστης); first declension^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Ancient Greek παστός (pastós, “sprinkled, salted”),^[1] the verbal adjective of πάσσω (pássō, “to sprinkle”).^[3][4] Chantraine lists a feminine plural of this word, from Eupolis, beside a neuter plural meaning a barley dish, among the derivatives of the verb.^[4] The verb's further origin is unknown.^[4]

Köbler connects it with Late Latin pasta (“dough”).^[2] Etymonline traces that Latin word to the related Greek neuter plural for barley porridge, and names it as the source of Italian pasta and, through Old French paste, of the English word paste.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found in fragments of Old Comedy, Eupolis and Aristophanes, for a sauce thickened with flour.^[1][6][4]

Semantic evolution

The word is rare and belongs to the language of comedy and the kitchen.^[1][6] Its family gave Latin a name for dough, and through it the Italian and English words for pasta and paste.^[2][5]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Eupolis uses it, in the plural, for a dish thickened with flour.^[4][1][7]
• 5th–4th century BC – A fragment of Aristophanes has it for a flour sauce.^[1][6][7]
• About 1300 – English has paste “dough”, through Old French from Late Latin.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A sauce thickened with flour; a kind of paste or dough.^[1][6][2]

Related words

• πάσσω (pássō)
• Latin pasta
• English paste
• English pasta

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Bailly, Anatole (2020), Dictionnaire grec-français, Bailly 2020 Hugo Chávez ed., ed. Gérard Gréco et al.
2. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard, Griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, online ed., https://www.koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Chantraine, Pierre (2009), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque: histoire des mots, new ed. with a supplement (Chroniques d'étymologie grecque 1–10), Paris: Klincksieck
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d Дворецкий, И. Х. (1958), Древнегреческо-русский словарь, Moscow: ГИС
7. ^ a b Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge