taxus

Forms

taxus f (genitive taxī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain.^[2] Since yew was the usual wood for bows, de Vaan holds that the word must be connected with Ancient Greek τόξον (tóxon, “bow”), found already in Mycenaean; but it cannot be a direct borrowing from Greek, nor, because of its meaning, from Scythian.^[2][3] Following Watkins, who derives the Greek word from a root Proto-Indo-European *tekʷ- (“to flow, run, flee”), he suggests a zero grade ⟨*tkʷ-s-o-⟩ with a secondary ⟨a⟩, or else a loan from another Indo-European dialect.^[2] Pokorny and Wiktionary instead take both words from a Scythian word for bow or arrow.^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Ennius.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

It is the yew tree,^[3][6] named by Caesar, Virgil and Pliny the Elder.^[6] Because of its poisonous berries it was counted among the trees of the underworld, as in Ovid, Lucan and Silius Italicus.^[6] Silius also uses it for a javelin of yew wood.^[6][7] Church Latin keeps the yew tree.^[8] It survives in tasso, tejo and teixo.^[1]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it.^[2][5]
• c. 50 BC – Caesar names the yew.^[6][5]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil names the yew.^[6][5]
• 25–101 AD – Silius Italicus, of a javelin of yew.^[6][5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A yew tree.^[3][6][1]
2. (poetic) A javelin of yew wood.^[6][7][1]

Word family

• taxeus
• taxicus

Usage notes

A separate Late Latin taxus, masculine, means badger: Köbler finds it first in Polemius Silvius (about 448/449 AD) and in glosses,^[5] and Wiktionary derives it from Frankish.^[1] Du Cange also records a medieval taxus “price, valuation”.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Bern; Munich: Francke
5. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
9. ^ du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre