Arabic-L:LING:Etymology of Cuscuta

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Mon 09 Jan  2004
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1) Subject:Etymology of Cuscuta
2) Subject:Etymology of Cuscuta

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1)
Date: 09 Jan 2004
From:jrader at Merriam-Webster.com
Subject:Etymology of Cuscuta

According to Corominas' etymological dictionary of Spanish, Medieval
Latin <cuscuta> first appears in a translation (ca. 1200) from Arabic of
a pseudo-Aristotelean botanical work (the Greek original is lost).  The
corresponding Arabic word is <kushu:tha:>; the <-sc-> may have been
a miscopying of <-ss->.  Corominas refers to an article by one A.
Thomas in the 1909 volume of _Bulletin hispanique_.  Greek also has
for the same or a similar plant ("dodder" in English) <kadutas>
(Theophrastus) and <kasutas> (Hesychius), presumably borrowed
independently from a cognate Semitic word or words.  Maybe the
Semiticists on the list can fill in the other forms and the presumed
Semitic original.

Jim Rader

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2)
Date: 09 Jan 2004
From:Safa Jubran <safa.alferd at terra.com.br>
Subject:Etymology of Cuscuta

The term cuscuta appears in:  
 P. Guigues, “Les noms...”, p. 520 [181];
 al-Kindi (cf. Levey, op. cit.,) p. 233 [18];
 al-Biruni, (cf. Hamarneh, Book on Pharmacy...), pp. 73-4;
Tuhfat, 32
it also appears in the arabic manuscript "Kitan thakirat Al-Iskandar",  
translated into portugues.
if you need mor details about this book, let me know
Safa

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End of Arabic-L:  09 Jan  2004