Sacundulium
Sacundulium apud Avicennam post grecum spondilion apud Dyascoridem de qua infra in spo.
Apparatus:
Sacunduliuʒ (-cũ- AC, -liũ A f) AC f | Saconduliũ B | Sachũduliũ e
post grecum (-cũ AB; -cum f) spondilion (spõ- B) ABC f | spondiliõ g̃ ms. e
apud Dyascoridem de qua infra om. e
qua AC f | quo B
infra in spo AC f | in spo infra B | in spo ms. e
Translation:
Sacundulium is the word used in Avicenna, it is formed from Greek spondilion as found in Dyascorides; for more information see the entry spondilion below.
Commentary:
Simon refers to Avicenna's Canon [Goehl] Liber II, Capitulum 651. De sacondulion. (annotation: sacundulion id est sphondylio (concerning sacundulion annotation: schiduliun), Sacondulion. (annotation: sacundulion). This text is also available online in the Lyon edition (1522: 123), Avicenna's Canon, Liber secundus, cap. dcli De sacõdulion [[1]].
The chapter in Dioscorides Longobardus is in 3, 84, ed. Stadler (1901: 412) De spondilion. The original Greek text can be found in 3, 76, ed. Wellmann (1906-14: 88-9): σφονδύλιον /sphondýlion/ [[2]].
The Greek word is σφονδύλειον /sphondýleion/, σφονδύλιον /sphondýlion/, and σπονδύλιον /spondýlion/. According to the rules of Arabic phonology only a single consonant can stand in word-initial position - which explains why a vowel is inserted between the first and the second consonants -, and /p/ is replaced by /f/. Siggel (1950: 42) has ﺳﻔﻨﺪﻭﻟﻴﻮﻥ /sifundūliyūn/, an adaptation in accord with these rules.
However the form Simon mentions, which is the one used in the Latin translation of the Canon, which can also be found in the Arabic original, is somewhat different: ﺳﻘﻨﺪﻭﻟﻴﻮﻥ /sqndwlywn/, {n.b. the Arabic version available online has a printing error: ﺳﻘﻨﺪﻓﻟﻴﻮﻥ /sqndflywn/ [[3]] due to a misreading of ﻭ {'w' = /ū/} as ﻑ 'f'}. It also seems that early on in the Arabic transmission chain the very similar letters ﻑ /f/ and ﻕ /q/ were also confused resulting in the appearance of a phantom version ﺳﻘﻨﺪﻭﻟﻴﻮﻥ /saqundūliyūn/.
Botanical identification:
Siggel (1950: 42) identifies ﺳﻔﻨﺪﻭﻟﻴﻮﻥ /sifundūliyūn/ as Heracleum sphondylium (Umb.), i.e. "common hogweed", [[4]].
For further information see also Spondilion.
Wilf Gunther 24/05/2014
