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cotoneum

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word cotoneum

Confidence
Disputed
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
234–149 BC, Cato
From the same root
English quince ← cotoneum

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [kɔˈtoː.ne.ũː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [koˈtɔː.ne.um][1]

Forms

cotōneum n (genitive cotōneī); second declension[1] It is the neuter of the adjective cotōneus (also cotōnius), used as a noun.[2]

Etymology

It is short for mālum cotōneum, the quince.[1][2] Its relation to Ancient Greek κυδώνιον (kudṓnion, “quince”) (“Cydonian apple”, after Κυδωνία (Kudōnía) in Crete) is disputed:[1][3] Wiktionary treats it as a variant of cydōnium,[1] Etymonline as a variant of it or a separate borrowing from the same source,[3] while the OLD finds it probably cognate with the Greek word but not derived from it.[2] Köbler calls the origin unclear, probably in Asia Minor,[4] and Etymonline reports Beekes' view that the Greek name comes from an older Anatolian word, its link with Kydonia being a folk etymology.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adjective first appears in Cato's De agri cultura, where mala cotonea (quinces) appear in a list of kinds of mala.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Varro, Celsus and Pliny the Elder also use malum cotoneum of the quince and its tree;[2] Pliny compares gourds to the size of a quince.[2] The neuter alone, cotoneum, is first found in Pliny, for the fruit, which he counts among those whose scent improves with age, and for the tree.[2]

Through *codoneum it gave Old French cooin, the source of English quince, and Italian cotogno.[3]

Timeline

  • 234–149 BC – Cato lists mala cotonea among kinds of mala.[2][4]
  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses malum cotoneum.[2][4]
  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder uses the neuter cotoneum for the fruit and the tree.[2][4]
  • mid-14th century – English quince is recorded, from Old French.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A quince (the fruit).[2][1]
  2. A quince tree.[2]

Adjective

  1. (as cotōneus) Of the quince;[2] mālum cotōneum, a quince or quince tree.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de

Descendants

Cite this entry

“Cotoneum.” Etymologically, 23 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/cotoneum. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·