canna

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkan.na]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkan.na]^[1]

Forms

canna f (genitive cannae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna, “reed”), itself from Akkadian 𒂵𒉡𒌑𒌝 (qanûm, “reed”).^[1][2][3] Compare Biblical Hebrew קָנֶה (qāne, “reed”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Varro of Atax, of the second third of the 1st century BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant a small reed, a cane, less common than harundō, as in Ovid and Columella, and a reed pipe, Pan-pipe, as in Ovid.^[2][5][6] Döderlein contrasts calamus, a reed by its hollowness, with culmus, a stalk by its height.^[7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant a reed, cane, flute, windpipe and an ell.^[8] In Medieval Latin it meant a rod as a land measure, an ell of cloth, and with mellis sugar cane.^[9][10] It survives in Italian canna, French canne and Spanish caña.^[1] English cane came through Old French in the late 14th century, and Italian cannone “large tube”, from it, gave English cannon about 1400.^[3] canālis “channel” is related.^[1]

Timeline

• 1st century BC – Varro of Atax uses it.^[4]
• 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of reeds and pipes.^[2][6][4]
• 1st century AD – Columella uses it.^[5][4]
• late 14th century – English cane is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A reed, cane.^[2]
2. A reed pipe, Pan-pipe.^[2]
3. (Medieval Latin) A rod (land measure); an ell; sugar cane.^[9][10]

Word family

• cannētum
• canneus
• cannula
• canālis

Related words

• canālicula
• canāliculātus
• canāliculus
• canāliēnsis
• harundō
• calamus
• English cane
• English cannon

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
9. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
10. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press