gaza

Forms

gaza f (genitive gazae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek γάζα (gáza, “treasure”), a word of Persian origin.^[2][3][4][5] Köbler, after Frisk, compares Middle Persian ganj.^[6] Mela and Curtius already say that the Persians call the royal treasury by this name, and Varro counts it among barbarian words.^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Lucretius.^[6] Nepos uses it of the royal treasure of Persia.^[3]

Semantic evolution

It is first the royal treasure of the Persians and of other eastern kings, as Curtius' royal money that the Persians call gaza.^[2][3] Generally it means treasure, riches or wealth, as Cicero speaks of a commander who can keep his hands off gold and royal treasure, and Livy of gifts from Hiero's treasure.^[3] Manilius and Seneca use it of natural deposits, as Seneca's Tagus turbid with Spanish treasure.^[2] Döderlein notes that divitiae and gazae denote riches in general, while opēs are means to higher ends.^[7] Church Latin glosses it riches, treasure.^[8]

Timeline

• 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it.^[6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of royal treasure.^[3][6]
• c. 100–24 BC – Nepos of the Persian king's treasure.^[3][6]
• 1st century AD – Curtius of the royal money that the Persians call by this name.^[2][6]

Meanings

Noun

1. The royal treasure or treasury, especially of the Persian king.^[2][3][1]
2. Treasure, riches, wealth.^[2][3][8][1]
3. Natural deposits of precious metal.^[2]

Related words

• gazophylacium
• divitiae

Usage notes

The city of Gaza in Palestine has the same spelling, from Ancient Greek Γάζα (Gáza), which goes back to Biblical Hebrew עַזָּה (ʕazzɔ̂).^[3][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
5. ^ Saalfeld, Günther Alexander (1874), Index Graecorum vocabulorum in linguam latinam translatorum, Berlin: Weidmann
6. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
8. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson