tamarindus

Forms

tamarindus m (genitive tamarindī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Arabic تمر هندي (tamr hindī, “Indian date”).^[2][3][1] Etymonline gives the literal meaning “date of India”.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Latham records it from before 1250,^[3] for the tamarind, used in medicine.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It was a word of medieval medicine: the Quaestiones Salernitanae prescribe tamarinds with manna and cassia as purgatives, and Gilbertus Anglicus lists their pulp among evacuating medicines.^[2] The herbal glossary Alphita equates it with oxifenicia, the “sour date”.^[2] It was passed on to Old French tamarinde and Italian tamarindo.^[1] English took it over around 1400, via Medieval Latin, for the medicinal fruit.^[4]

Timeline

• before 1250 – First recorded, according to Latham.^[3]
• c. 1400 – Borrowed into English as tamarinde, via Medieval Latin.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) The tamarind, its fruit used as a purgative.^[2][1]

Related words

• English tamarind

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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
3. ^ a b c 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