castor

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkas.tɔr]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkas.tor]^[1]

Forms

castor m (genitive castoris); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek κάστωρ (kástōr, “beaver”).^[2][3][4] Etymonline says the Greek may mean “he who excels” and be the same as the name of Castor.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Cicero (81–43 BC).^[4] A passage of Cicero on the beaver is quoted by Isidore.^[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant the beaver, for which the native Latin word was fiber.^[6][7] Pliny and Juvenal use Greek accusatives castora and castoras.^[7] The same word was the name of Castor, brother of Pollux, and the plural Castores meant Castor and Pollux, and St Elmo's fire.^[2]

In medieval Latin a different castor, from castrāre, was a gelded ram.^[4] English castor “beaver” came from it through Old French in the late 14th century.^[5]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.^[6][4]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder writes of the beaver.^[6][4]
• c. 67–c. 127 AD – Juvenal uses the accusative castora.^[7][4]
• late 14th century – English castor is borrowed.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. The beaver.^[2][1]

Word family

• Castoreus
• castorinatus
• castorinus
• ēcastor
• mēcastor

Related words

• fiber
• English castor

Usage notes

Castor is also the name of the son of Leda and brother of Pollux.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn