Barren trees are the firr, the alder, the birch, the cypress,
the beech, the ash, the sallow (willow), the linden-tree, &c., but
most of them affording shade. │ sterilēs arborēs sunt abiēs, alnus, betula*,
cupressus, fāgus, fraxinus, salix, tilia, &c. Sed plēræque umbriferæ.
But the Juniper, and Bay-tree, yield Berries. │ At Jūniperus
& Laurus ferunt Baccās
The Pine, Pine-apples. │ Pīnus, Strobīlōs.
The Oak, Acorns and Galls**. │ Quercus Glandēs & Gallās.
*CL: betulla
**oak-apples
[8]
Many names of trees in Latin are second declension in -us,
but, unlike the vast majority of 2nd declension -us nouns,
they are feminine and not masculine:
alnus, -ī [2/f]: alder
fāgus, -ī [2/f]: beech
frāxinus, -ī [2/f]: ash
iūniperus, -ī [2/f]: juniper
laurus, -ī [2/f]: laurel; bay tree
pīnus, -ī [2/f]: pine
pōmus, -ī [2/f]: any kind of fruit tree
ulmus, -ī [2/f]: elm
cupressus, -ī [2 m/f]: cyprus
Note:
quercus, -ūs [4/f]: oak
[9]
bacca, -ae [1/f]: berry
galla, -ae [1/f]: oak-apple
glāns, glandis [3/f]: acorn; any acorn-shaped fruit
It’s interesting to note the translator’s use of the word pine-apples, referring to the ‘fruit’ i.e. the produce of the pine-tree: strobilus, -ī [2/m]: pine-cone; from Ancient Greek στρόβῑλος [stróbīlos]. Pineapples, indigenous to South America, were first introduced to Europe in the 17th century but were not cultivated in Europe until the first half of the 18th century. The first recorded written reference of the word pineapple meaning the tropical fruit was in 1714. Comenius and Hoole, his translator, may have known about the pineapple but it is unlikely they had ever seen a picture of one, they certainly hadn’t tasted one, and no reference to the tropical fruit is given anywhere in Comenius’ work.
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/06/140824-follow-up-food-and-drink-6-solve.html
[10]
abiēs, abietis [3/f]: silver fir
betulla, -ae [1/f] (CL); betula, -ae [1/f] (Late / Mediaeval): birch
tree
salix, salicis [3/f]: willow
tilia, -ae [1/f]: linden; lime-tree
No comments:
Post a Comment