κακκαλία

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

  • κᾰκᾰλῐ́ᾱ (kăkălĭ́ā), κᾰκᾰλῐ́ς (kăkălĭ́s)

Etymology

According to Furnée, of Pre-Greek origin, in view of the similarity with other plant names, such as ἀκακαλίς (akakalís, daffodil) and κάγκανον (kánkanon, mercury). Witczak prefers a Dardanic source. Compare also Dacian coicolida (nightshade), Lithuanian kankùlis (corncockle), Lithuanian kankali̇̀jos f pl (bellflower), Old Prussian kunklis (corncockle), as well as Proto-Slavic *kǫkoľь (corncockle), whence Slovene kokalj, Polish kąkol and Russian куколь (kukolʹ).[1]

Pronunciation

 

Noun

κᾰκκᾰλῐ́ᾱ • (kăkkălĭ́āf (genitive κᾰκκᾰλῐ́ᾱς); first declension

  1. ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
    Synonyms: ἁλῐκᾰ́κκᾰβον (halĭkắkkăbon), μώρῐος (mṓrĭos), στρῠ́χνον (strŭ́khnon)
  2. kind of mercury (Mercurialis tomentosa)
    Synonym: λεοντῐκή (leontĭkḗ)

Declension

Descendants

  • Latin: cacalia

References

  1. ^ Witczak, Krzysztof (2014), “Dardanian Plant Names”, in Linguistique Balkanique[1], volume 53, numbers 2-3, Sofia: Académie bulgare des sciences, pages 97–99

Further reading