καντάρι

Greek

Etymology

From Byzantine Greek καντάρι (kantári), a reborrowing (possibly through Ottoman Turkish قنطار (kantar)) from Arabic قِنْطَار (qinṭār, “kantar (weight unit)”), from Byzantine Greek κεντηνάριον (kentēnárion), from Latin centēnārium (“hundredweight”), ultimately from Latin centum (“hundred”). See Arabic قِنْطَار (qinṭār) for numerous cognates with the exact same meaning passed via Arabic and Ottoman Turkish throughout the Mediterranean region.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kanˈdaɾi/
• Hyphenation: καν‧τά‧ρι

Noun

καντάρι • (kantári) n (plural καντάρια)

1. (obsolete) kantar, quintal (weight unit equal to 44 okas (οκάδες), in Greece equal to 56.4 kilograms)

   τα εκατό καντάρια το ασήμι ― ta ekató kantária to asími ― the hundred kantars of silver

   • 1801, Karl Weigel, Λεξικόν Γερμανικόν-Απλορωμαϊκόν:

     εις την φαμπρίκαν αναλούν κάθε χρόνον από εκατόν καντάρια κάρβουνα

     eis tin fampríkan analoún káthe chrónon apó ekatón kantária kárvouna

     in the factory they consume anually a hundred kantars of coal

2. (figuratively) a moderately large amount

   λίγη δράση και πέντε καντάρια έρωτα ― lígi drási kai pénte kantária érota ― some action and a moderately large amount of passion

3. (kitchenware) scales, balance, especially a vertical spring balance

   Synonyms: ζυγαριά (zygariá), ζυγός (zygós), στατήρας (statíras), στατέρι (statéri)

   ηλεκτρονικό καντάρι βαρέως τύπου ― ilektronikó kantári varéos týpou ― high-load electronic balance

Declension

Declension of καντάρι

	singular	plural
nominative	καντάρι (kantári)	καντάρια (kantária)
genitive	κανταριού (kantarioú)	κανταριών (kantarión)
accusative	καντάρι (kantári)	καντάρια (kantária)
vocative	καντάρι (kantári)	καντάρια (kantária)

Coordinate terms

as an obsolete weight unit (44 okas, 56.4 kg):

• δράμι n (drámi, “dram (¹⁄₄₀₀ oka, 3.2 g”)
• οκά f (oká, “oka (400 drams, 1.28 kg)”)
• τσεκί n (tsekí, “cheki (4 kantars, 225.3 kg)”) (rare)

Derived terms

• ένα καντάρι σίδερο, πόσα βελόνια βγάζει; (éna kantári sídero, pósa velónia vgázei?, “an ironic question directed to a know-all”) (literally: "how many needles does a kantar of iron make?")
• με έφαγε στο καντάρι (me éfage sto kantári, “I was cheated in a commercial transaction”) (literally: "I was eaten on the weighing scale")
• με το καντάρι (me to kantári, “to a very large degree, excessively”) (literally: "by the kantar")
• κανταράκι (kantaráki) (diminutive, refers exclusively to a small weighing scale)
• ρίχνει καντάρια (ríchnei kantária, “it's raining cats and dogs”) (literally: "it's pouring kantars [of rain]")

Descendants

• → Albanian: kandar
• → Aromanian: cãntare, cîntare, cîndare

References

• καντάρι, in Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], Triantafyllidis Foundation, 1998 at the Centre for the Greek language