σμάραγδος

Pronunciation

• IPA (5th-century BC Attic): /zmá.raɡ.dos/^[1]
• IPA (4th-century AD Koine): /ˈzma.raɣ.ðos/^[1]
• IPA (10th-century Byzantine): /ˈzma.raɣ.ðos/^[1]

Forms

σμᾰ́ρᾰγδος (smáragdos) f or m (genitive σμᾰρᾰ́γδου); second declension^[1] Also μάραγδος (máragdos) (Menander, Hellenistic inscriptions) and ζμάραγδος (zmáragdos) (inscriptions, papyri).^[2][3]

Etymology

It is an Oriental loanword.^[2][4] It matches Sanskrit मरकत (marakata), Akkadian barraqtu and Hebrew בָּרֶקֶת (bāreqet), all “emerald”, whose ultimate source is probably Semitic, from a root brq “to shine, flash”.^[2][5][1][6] Rosół, however, classes it among the Oriental loanwords of unknown origin, the Semitic source being doubtful, and reports the older view that the Greek word came from Indic.^[4]

The initial σμ- is like that of Σμέρδις (Smérdis) beside Old Persian Bardiya, and σμαραγέω (smaragéō) may have influenced it; the later μάραγδος may have been borrowed from Indic.^[2][5][4] Rosół tentatively connects Mycenaean Greek pa-ra-ku-we with it.^[4]

From Greek came Latin smaragdus and Persian زمرد (zumurrud), whence Ottoman zümrüd and Russian izumrud.^[2][5][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in Herodotus, who speaks of an emerald stone.^[7][3]

Semantic evolution

LSJ notes that it named several green stones, including the emerald (Herodotus, Plato's Phaedo, Theophrastus), and Etymonline adds malachite.^[3][6] Delian inventories of the 3rd century BC list seals of σμάραγδος and of μάραγδος.^[3] The Suda recalls the emerald of Polycrates of Samos, thrown into the sea and found again in a fish.^[8]

In the Septuagint it is among the stones of the priestly vestments in Exodus 28.^[9][3] Σμάραγδος was also the name of the emerald mines in Egypt, in inscriptions of the 1st century AD, and of the mountain where they lay (Ptolemy).^[3][10] Medieval Greek used it for various green precious stones.^[11] Through Latin and Old French it is the source of English emerald.^[6]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Herodotus mentions an emerald stone.^[7][3][12]
• 5th–4th century BC – Plato mentions emeralds in the Phaedo.^[3][12]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Theophrastus describes the stone.^[3][12]
• 3rd century BC – Delian inventories list emerald seals.^[3]
• 1st century AD – inscriptions name the emerald mines of Egypt.^[3]
• c. 1300 – English emeraude, through Old French.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. The emerald, and other green gems.^[3][7]
2. (proper name) The emerald mines of Egypt; a mountain there.^[3][10]

Word family

• σμαράγδινος (smarágdinos)
• σμαραγδίτης (smaragdítēs)

Related words

• Latin smaragdus
• English emerald

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d Rosół, Rafał (2013), Frühe semitische Lehnwörter im Griechischen, Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang
5. ^ a b c Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
8. ^ Adler, Ada, ed. (1928–1938), Suidae Lexicon, 5 vols, Leipzig: Teubner
9. ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
10. ^ a b Charbonnet, André, Onomata, v4 (Greek proper names, companion to Bailly 2020)
11. ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
12. ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge