Arabic-L:LING:mawthabaan query

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Mon 17 Nov  2003
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject:mawthabaan query

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1)
Date: 17 Nov  2003
From:Haruko SAKAEDANI <harukos at aa.tufs.ac.jp>
Subject:mawthabaan query

My question is: Why does "mawthabaan" mean "who stays always at home,
undertakes nothing (prince)" (according to Steingass) though its root
"w-th-b"
means "to jump" ??

i heard that the word "marzipan" had come from the Arabic word
"mawthabaan."
"mawthabaan" is a name of some coins which contains an image of Christ
sitting on the throne.
There were such coins in the Crusades time.
The coins were called "a seated king" but the Arab called them
"mawthabaan."

These coins were put on boxes then those boxes began to be called
"mawthabaan."
The people put in them some kind of sweets.
After a while, the name of these boxes became the name of the sweets.

Anyway, why did the Arab in those days called sitting Christ
"mawthabaan"
which comes from the root "w-th-b" that is, to jump?

Thanks in advance.

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End of Arabic-L:  17 Nov  2003