Etymologically
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culmus

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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]

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