Talk:τριχίουρος

RFV discussion: March–May 2020

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τριχίουρος

Asking for verification as Ancient Greek (before 1453). The Liddell-Scott dictionary is listed under References, but in fact the term isn't there. Nor is it in any of the other Ancient Greek dictionaries I looked in. Googling results only in modern Greek (post-1453) hits. The New Latin word listed as a descendant, which seems to be used only in biological nomenclature, could have been coined in New Latin on the basis of Greek roots, without the Greek itself actually existing, or it could have been borrowed from post-1453 Greek, which is el and not grc. —Mahāgaja · talk 08:16, 25 March 2020 (UTC)

It looks a priori unlikely as an Ancient Greek noun. Specifying that some aspect has some characteristic attribute by a one-word term is virtually always done with an adjective, following the Homeric tradition (βραχυδάκτυλος (brakhudáktulos), γλαυκῶπις (glaukôpis), ὀλιγόθερμος (oligóthermos), ῥοδοδάκτυλος (rhododáktulos)).  --Lambiam 12:46, 25 March 2020 (UTC)

Sure, but all adjectives can be used substantivally, and if this word is attested, it's possible that it's attested only in substantival use. —Mahāgaja · talk 13:02, 25 March 2020 (UTC)

@Mahagaja: Your first alternative theory is correct. Latin trichiurus was coined by Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae (18th c.); this was then borrowed into modern Greek. It is not attested before Linnaeus in either language. —Nizolan ^(talk) 00:08, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

I've changed this into a modern Greek entry and altered the definition and etymology appropriately, so marking the RfV as resolved. —Nizolan ^(talk) 19:34, 4 May 2020 (UTC)