Etymologically
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satureia

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [sa.tʊˈreː.ja][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [sa.tuˈrɛː.ja][1]

Forms

saturēia f (genitive saturēiae); first declension[1]

Etymology

Its origin is unknown, probably a foreign word.[2][1][3][4] It is scanned as four syllables.[2] A neuter plural ⟨saturēia⟩ is found in Ovid and Martial.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Ovid, whom he dates 43 BC–18 AD, and Ovid uses the neuter plural of the herb as an aphrodisiac.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

It meant the aromatic pot herb savory, called also cunīla, as in Columella and Pliny the Elder.[2][5][6] The neuter plural in Ovid and Martial meant savory and the aphrodisiac made from it, though Lewis and Short suggest another plant.[2][5]

British Medieval Latin used it for savory, Satureia hortensis or montana, and in medicine.[7] It survives in Italian santoreggia, French sarriette and Portuguese segurelha, and it is ultimately the source of Middle English savereie, whence the herb English savory.[1][4]

Timeline

  • 43 BC–18 AD – Ovid uses it of an aphrodisiac.[2][3]
  • 1st century AD – Columella uses it of savory.[5][3]
  • 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder describes it.[6][3]
  • late 14th century – English savory (the herb) is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The herb savory.[2]
  2. In the neuter plural, savory as an aphrodisiac.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ 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