σάπφειρος

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /sápʰ.pʰeː.ros/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈsap.ɸi.ros/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈsap.fi.ros/^[1]

Forms

σᾰ́πφειρος (sáppheiros) f (genitive σᾰπφείρου); second declension^[1] Medieval also σάμφειρος (8th–10th century) and σάφειρος, masculine.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is certainly related to a Semitic word, probably borrowed from Hebrew סַפִּיר (sappîr) or a similar West Semitic form.^[4][5][6][1] Wiktionary traces this further to Akkadian šipirtu (“lapis lazuli”).^[1] Beekes notes that the Semitic word was probably itself borrowed, and that the -πφ- and -ειρος of the Greek could point to Pre-Greek origin.^[4] LSJ and the OED also doubt that it is Semitic in the end.^[4][7][8] A link with Sanskrit śanipriya-, a dark stone, is very doubtful.^[5][3][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Theophrastus, in his work on stones, describes two kinds, a blue one and a “golden” one.^[7][4]

Semantic evolution

In antiquity the stone was lapis lazuli, not the modern sapphire.^[7][5][3] The Septuagint uses it for Hebrew sappîr, and Josephus mentions it.^[6][7]

Medieval writers list sapphires among the gems on an emperor's sword and in the decoration of churches.^[2] Through Latin sapphirus it reached the European languages, as English sapphire (mid-13th century, through Old French saphir).^[4][8] Modern Greek has the learned σάπφειρος (sápfiros) and the everyday ζαφείρι.^[9][2]

Timeline

• 4th–3rd century BC – Theophrastus describes the stone.^[7][4][10]
• 8th–10th century – the form σάμφειρος.^[2]
• Mid-13th century – English sapphire.^[8]
• Modern Greek – σάπφειρος (learned), ζαφείρι.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. lapis lazuli.^[7][4]
2. (later) sapphire.^[2][3]

Word family

• σαπφείρινος (sappheírinos)

Related words

• Latin sapphirus
• English sapphire

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
3. ^ a b c d Πάπυρος–Larousse–Britannica, Μέγα Λεξικό της Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, Athens: Πάπυρος
4. ^ a b c d e f g 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
5. ^ a b c Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
6. ^ a b Rosół, Rafał (2013), Frühe semitische Lehnwörter im Griechischen, Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang
7. ^ a b c d e f Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Σπουδών (Ίδρυμα Μανόλη Τριανταφυλλίδη) (1998), Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής, Thessaloniki: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
10. ^ Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge