02.08.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [12]; Comenius (1658); tree

Only part of the original text is used here.

A plant groweth from a seed. │planta prōcrēscit ē sēmine.

A plant waxeth to a shoot, │planta abit in fruticem,

A shoot to a tree, │frutex in arborem,

The root beareth up the tree. │rādīx sustentat arborem.

The body or stem riseth from the root. │stirps (stemma) surgit ē rādīce.

The stem divideth itself into boughs and green branches made of leaves. │stirps sē dīvidit in rāmōs & frondēs factās ē foliīs.

The top is in the height. │cacūmen est in summō.

The stock (trunk) is close to the roots. │ truncus adhæret rādīcibus.

Notes and vocabulary

[1] prōcrēscō, -ere [3]: literally: grow forth i.e. arise; spring up

[2] a plant waxeth to a shoot / grows into a shoot, │planta abit in fruticem

abit < abeō, abīre: depart; go away, but can, as here, be used more poetically to mean ‘be transformed; turn into’

In villōs abeunt vestēs, in crūra lacertī. (Ovid)│ Clothes turn (in)to fur, arms to legs.

[3] stirps sē [reflexive] dīvidit │ the stem divides itself

[4] stirps sē dīvidit in rāmōs et frondēs ¦ factās ē foliīs │ the stem divides itself into boughs and branches ¦ made of leaves; perfect passive participle (factās)

Note: frōns, frondis [3/f] in itself means a leafy branch

ē / ex + ablative indicating source or material:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/210525-level-3-summary-of-of-uses-of_25.html

[5] adhaereō, -ēre [2]: stick to; cling to; be close to

truncus adhæret rādīcibus [dative] │ the trunk is close to the roots.

The verb is a compound of ad + haereō; many compound verbs in Latin take the dative case:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/130425-level-3-verbs-with-dative-case-1.html

[6] vocabulary

cacūmen, cacūminis [3/n]: top; peak; summit

folium, -ī [2/n]: leaf; petal; needle of a conifer:

Ex hīs pīnus atque pīnaster folium habent capillāmentī modo praetenue longumque et mucrōne aculeātum. (Pliny the Elder) │ Of these, the pine and wild pine have a leaf [that is] very thin and long, in the manner of hair, and tipped with a sharp point.

frōns, frondis [3/f]: a leafy branch

frutex, fruticis [3/m]: although the translator gives the meaning as ‘shoot’ i.e. the small stem of a new plant, the word refers to the trunk or lower part of the tree, and in Classical Latin also means ‘shrub’ or ‘bush’, but not in this text

rādīx, radīcis [3/f]: root

rāmus, -ī [2/m]: branch; bough

sēmen, sēminis [3/n]: seed

stemma, stemmatis [3/n]: stem; the noun has the original meaning of ‘garland’ or ‘wreath’ as well as ‘lineage’, genealogical tree; the English word stem is of Germanic origin (OE: stemn; Gmn: Stamm)

stirps, stirpis [3/f]: lower part of the plant; stem; stalk; the noun can also refer to a person’s lineage (i.e. family roots)

truncus, -ī [2/m]: tree trunk