culmus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkʊɫ.mʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkul.mus]^[1]

Forms

culmus m (genitive culmī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *kol(a)mo-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ḱolh₂-mo- (“stalk, stem, straw”).^[2][1] Cognate with Ancient Greek κάλαμος (kálamos, “reed, straw”), Russian солома (solóma, “straw”) and Old High German halm (“stalk, straw”), which gave English haulm.^[2][1][3] The Greek word was borrowed as calamus.^[1]

De Vaan explains the Latin form by Nussbaum's view that ⟨*kolamos⟩ became ⟨*kolmos⟩ and then ⟨culmus⟩, while noting that Schrijver doubts it.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and the OLD date it from Varro, of the stem of a cereal.^[2][3] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It was the stem of a cereal grass or another plant, as in Varro and Cicero, and in Virgil the dry stems used as straw, as for thatching.^[3][5]

British Medieval Latin used it for a haulm, a corn-stalk, a bundle of thatch, and collectively for stubble.^[6]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.^[3][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of straw.^[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The stalk or stem of a cereal or other plant.^[3]
2. Straw; thatch.^[3][6]

Related words

• calamus
• culmen
• English haulm

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ 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