Policarpos

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Policarpos vocatur etiam poligonia a Dyascoride est dictu multi fructus infra in poligonia.


Apparatus:

{Dyascoride) & add. B
dictum efjp | dictu ABC
{in} poligonia | poligõiaʒ ms. e | pologonia j


Translation:

Policarpos is mentioned by Dyascorides as a synonym for poligonia; policarpos translates into Latin as multi-fructus {(lit.) "with much fruit"}, see the entry Poligonia below.


Commentary:

Policarpos:
Greek πολύκαρπος /polýkarpos/, neuter form: πολύκαρπον /polýkarpon/ - in the itacist pronunciation /políkarpos/ - is an adjective meaning "fruitful"; as a feminine noun it is a synonym for poligonia, q.v. It is a compound of πολυ- /poly-/ {"much, many"} + καρπός /karpós/ "fruit; seed".

Simon alludes to Dioscorides Longobardus, 4, 4, ed. Stadler (1901: 11) De poligonon … [[1]], where it says : Poligonon masculus aut … policarpon - "The male poligonon is also called … policarpon."

πολύκαρπος /polýkarpos/ is mentioned in the Greek Dioscorides, 4, 4, ed. Wellmann (1906-14: II.171) [[2]] as a synonym for πολύγονον ἄρρεν /polýgonon árrhen/ {(lit.) "male polygonon"}, see Poligonia.

This synonymy is repeated in Ps.-Apuleius, 18, ed. Howald (1927: 55). HERBA PROSERPINACA, where it says: Nomina herbae: A Gracis dicitur poligonos,… , alii policarpon. [[3]]


Botanical identification:

Most authors agree that this is Polygonum aviculare L. "common knotgrass" [[4]].

The word has survived into botanical Latin in the forms polycarpos, polycarpon and polycarpus as the specific epithet in a number of plants.


WilfGunther (talk) 11/01/2014


See also: Poligonia


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