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
- The emerald, and other green gems.[3][7]
- (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
- ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d Rosół, Rafał (2013), Frühe semitische Lehnwörter im Griechischen, Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang
- ^ a b c Frisk, Hjalmar (1960–1972), Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3 vols, Heidelberg: Carl Winter
- ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ Adler, Ada, ed. (1928–1938), Suidae Lexicon, 5 vols, Leipzig: Teubner
- ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
- ^ a b Charbonnet, André, Onomata, v4 (Greek proper names, companion to Bailly 2020)
- ^ Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
- ^ a b c Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge