Soap

[X99Lynx at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/24/2001 4:58:41 AM, mcv at wxs.nl writes:
<< Pokorny gives mainly Germanic and Tocharian forms (but also Serbian sipiti
"drizzle" and maybe Latin se:bum).  I didn't look into it further in any
detail (the Latin and Romance words for "soap" are mentioned, but as loans
from Germanic). >>

L&S give sapo:n (to:i Germaniko:i sme:gmati) as a Gallic invention (hair-dye)
adopted by the Germans, according to Pliny.

There is something in all this however that must have to do with the
phonotactics of these languages or something like that.  Clearly there are a
good many forms in Greek, some relatively early, that show some serious
commonality.

<dusapaleiptos> means hard to wipe out in Sophocles.

<anapsao:> is cited early for wipe up, clean out.

<apoxeo:> wipe, scrape, scrape off polish, finish of

<sunapoxuo:> scrape or strip off together

<psao:> crumble away, vanish, disappear (L&S write that "psao:, psaio:,
psauo:, psairo:, pse:cho:, pso:cho:, and perh. psio:, pso:mos, seem to be
different enlargements of ps-")

The variations include other words that denote rubbing or cleaning:

<pse:xis> rubbing down, currying, of horses in Xenophon

<pse:cho:> rub down, stroke, scratch, rub down, wear away, (Pass., pse:chetai
he: petra, to be worn away)

And thus:

<pse:phos> Doric <psaphos>, Aeol. <psaphax>, a worn stone or pebble, precious
stone, polished gem. (Doric has a tendency to look like the Germanic from
time to time.)

This somehow seems related to the actual ways things were polished or
cleaned, with a honing stone or by using sand to scour.  And somehow seems to
be related to the handling that causes polishing which brings up:

<haphao:> ( tho:re:ka kai ankula tox' haphoo:nta, rubbing and polishing them
< Homer)

A lighter touch is indicated in:

<psauo:> touch, in close contact, touched with

<psausis>  touching, contact, esp. of lovers, caress,

<psakas> drops of rain, particle, drizzle, showers

<psairo:>  graze, brush lightly, touch gently, rub, scrape gently in washing

<psapharos> powdery, crumbling, of loose texture, thin, watery

(All the above definitions are from Lewis & Short)

There seems to be enough to suggest that, while the use of hair dyes or
animal products in cleaning, treating, polishing or giving a polished look to
something may have been a northern innovation, the concept was thoroughly
anticipated in Greek, and with words that circle around "soap" in a pretty
provocative way.  I would not even pretend to understand how <psa-> might
travel to <sap->.

Regards,
Steve Long