secale

Forms

sēcale n (genitive sēcalis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

The origin is unknown.^[1][2] The OLD calls it probably foreign, and Wiktionary suggests a loan from a language of the Balkans.^[3][1] Gaffiot derives it from secō (“to cut”), but Wiktionary calls the comparison with that verb and with sēcula (“sickle”) unconvincing.^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pliny the Elder is the first to name it, a cereal that is probably rye, though L&S and Georges note that others took it for black spelt.^[5][6][2]

Semantic evolution

Diocletian's Price Edict spells it sicale.^[6] The word lived on in Medieval Latin for rye: a British gloss renders sycla with rige, and Du Cange files it under sigalum.^[7][8] It survives in Italian segale, Romanian secară and Aromanian sicarã.^[9][1]

Timeline

• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder describes the grain.^[5][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A cereal, rye.^[3][6][7]

Usage notes

The vowel lengths are unsure: Wiktionary has sēcale, L&S and Gaffiot sĕcāle, and the OLD infers a short second syllable from the medieval forms.^[1][5][4][3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
3. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
5. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
7. ^ 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
8. ^ du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
9. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier