cardamomum

Forms

cardamōmum n (genitive cardamōmī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek καρδάμωμον (kardámōmon, “cardamom”).^[2][1][3] The Greek word is a shortened compound of κάρδαμον (kárdamon, “cress”) and ἄμωμον (ámōmon, “an Indian spice plant”).^[4][1][5] Beekes takes ámōmon for an Oriental loanword,^[4] and Etymonline calls kárdamon of unknown origin.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Celsus is the first to use it, in his De medicina, for cardamom used in remedies.^[3][6][2]

Semantic evolution

It named the spice cardamom and its seeds, especially as a medicine;^[2] Pliny the Elder also has it.^[3] English used the Latin form from the late 14th century before taking cardamom from French.^[5]

Timeline

• 14–37 AD – Celsus prescribes cardamom.^[3][6]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder mentions it.^[3][6]
• late 14th century – The Latin form is used in English.^[5]
• 1550s – English has cardamom, through French.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. Cardamom, Elettaria cardamomum, or its seeds, used especially in medicine.^[2][3]

Related words

• English cardamom

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b 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 d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de