Etymologically
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granum

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈɡraː.nũː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɡraː.num][1]

Forms

grānum n (genitive grānī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *grāno-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *ǵr̥h₂-no- (“grain”).[2] De Vaan prefers to read it as “what has ripened”, from the root of Sanskrit जरन्ति (járanti, “they make old”), rather than “what has been ground”.[2] Cognate with Old Irish grán (“grain”), Welsh grawn (“grain”), Lithuanian žìrnis (“pea”), Old Church Slavonic зръно (zrŭno, “grain”), Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌽 (kaúrn, “grain”) and English corn.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus speaks of refusing to give a grain of wheat.[3][2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[5]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it was the seed of a cereal, a grain, the seed of other plants such as grapes and figs, and a small round particle, of incense in Plautus or of salt in Pliny.[3][4][6]

In medieval Latin it was corn, especially wheat, the harvest, and the scarlet dye kermes, called grain, and a small weight.[7][8] It survives as Italian grano, French grain, Spanish grano, Portuguese grão and Romanian grâu.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of wheat and of incense.[3][5]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a fig seed.[6][5]
  • early 14th century – English grain is recorded, through Old French grain.[9]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A grain, seed (of cereals and other plants).[3][10]
  2. A small particle (of incense or salt).[3][4]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Corn, wheat; the harvest.[7][8]
  4. (Medieval Latin) Kermes, scarlet grain; a small weight.[7]

Word family

  • grānārium
  • grānātim
  • grānātus
  • graneus
  • grānifer
  • grānōsus
  • grānulum
  • centigrānius
  • English grain

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  8. ^ a b Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  9. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  10. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press