𐤒𐤔𐤀

Punic

Etymology

Akin to Arabic قِثَّاء (qiṯṯāʔ, “cucumber”).

Pronunciation

• (6^th BCE Punic): IPA^(key): /kʼissuːʔ/
• (2^nd BCE Late Punic): IPA^(key): /kʼissyːʔ/
• (2^nd CE Neo-Punic): IPA^(key): /kʼissy/

Noun

𐤒𐤔𐤀 (qšʾ /qiššūʾ/) m

1. cucumber
   • 40 CE – 90 CE, Dioscorides, De Materia Medica interpolations believed to be from Pamphilos, s. v. σίκυς ἄγριος 3.59:^[1]:

     σίκυς ἄγριος· [οἱ δὲ ἐλατήριον, οἱ δὲ γρυνόν, οἱ δὲ βαλ‹αν›ίς, οἱ δὲ σύγκρισις, οἱ δὲ βουβάλιον, οἱ δὲ σκορπίον,] οἱ δὲ φέρομβρον, [οἱ δὲ πευκέδανον, οἱ δὲ νότιον, Ῥωμαῖοι ἀγγουίνουμ, οἱ δὲ κουκούμερε‹μ› ῥούστικουμ, οἱ δὲ ἀγρέστεμ, Ἄφροι κισσου μεζρα (mss. var. κουσσιμεζάρ, κουσί μεζαρ).]

     síkus ágrios; [hoi dè elatḗrion, hoi dè grunón, hoi dè bal‹an›ís, hoi dè súnkrisis, hoi dè boubálion, hoi dè skorpíon,] hoi dè phérombron, [hoi dè peukédanon, hoi dè nótion, Rhōmaîoi angouínoum, hoi dè koukoúmere‹m› rhoústikoum, hoi dè agréstem, Áphroi kissou mezra (mss. var. koussimezár, kousí mezar).]

   • 300 CE – 400 CE, Pseudo-Apuleius, Herbarium interpolations from interpolated versions of Dioscorides s. v. Sicydes agria:

     Graeci elaterion, grynon, balis, bubalion, scorpion, ferombron, peucedanon, notion, Latini anguineum (var. anguinum), cucumerem agrestem, cucumerem silvaticum, profetae haema ictinos, Punici cissu mezra (mss. var. cumsisezar, cussimezara).

Derived terms

• 𐤒𐤔𐤀 𐤌𐤆𐤓𐤏 (qšʾ mzrʿ /⁠qiššūʾ məzraʿ⁠/, “squirting cucumber”)

Descendants

• Proto-Berber: *ā-ɣissīm
  • Central Atlas Tamazight: taɣəššimt
  • Northern Saharan Berber: taɣəssimt
  • Tuareg: taɣəssimt

References

• Blažek, Václav (2014) “Etymologizing ‘unetymologizable’ Greek dendronyms”, in Graeco-Latina Brunensia‎^[2], volume 19, number 1, page 42
• Blench, Roger (2018) “Relating linguistic reconstructions of plant names in Berber to the archaeobotany of North Africa”, in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports‎^[3], volume 38, number 103009, published 2021, →DOI, Table 12 and 13, pages 10 of the draft and 8 of the issue
• Krahmalkov, Charles R. (2000) “QŠʾ”, in Phoenician-Punic Dictionary (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta; 90), Leuven: Uitgeverij Peeters en Departement Oosterse Studies Leuven, →ISBN, page 435
• Löw, Immanuel (1881) Aramæische Pflanzennamen‎^[4] (in German), Leipzig: Wilhelm Engelmann, page 407