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Siparvm and Svpparvs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 February 2009

A. E. Housman
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Abstract

A Student who looks out siparum in the dictionary is sent on to supparum. Forcellini: ‘sīpărum et sīpărus et sīphărum, v. supparum'; ‘suppărum, i, n. et supparus, i, m… scribitur autem et sifarus et siparum et siparus et sipharutm’. Georges: ‘sīpărum, īphărum (īphărus), s. supparum’; ‘suppărum (īpărum u. īphărum), i, n., u. suppărus (īphărus), i, m. (σíϕαρος)’. Lewis and Short: ‘īpărum or-us, i, v. supparum'; ‘suppărum (īpărum, īpărum, īphărum), i, n. u. suppărus (īphărus), i, m.’ This then is one word, rejoicing in no fewer than eleven forms (most of which I have never met anywhere outside a dictionary2): supparum, supparus, īparum, sĭparum, īpharum, sĭpharum, siparus, sifarus, īpharus, sĭpharus, sĭparium. And to this one word the lexicographers assign two meanings: (I) a topsail (or in military use a sort of banner), (2) a linen garment mostly worn by women. Similar opinions are forthcoming from all quarters: studniczka Beitr. z. Gesch. d. altgr. Tracht p. 90 ‘supparus… bezeichnet ein linnenes Obergewand der Männer und Frauen, zugleich aber ein Art Segel und segeltüchtige Vorhänge, wie sie im Theater und anderwärts verwendet wurden’; Vaniček Fremdwörter p. 79 ‘supparus m., supparum n., ursprünglicher Name eines Segels … dann ein Frauengewand’ (a description taken word for word from Hehn Kulturpfl. u. Hausth. p. 154 ed. 2); Pauli in Kuhn's Zeitschrift XVIII p. 5 ‘supparus, supparum, leinenes gewand, frauenhemde, toppsegeL’; Weise Griech. Wört, im Lat. p. 181 'nächst der Tunikaund Stolaist dasam frülhesten in der Litteratur auftretende Frauengewand das supparum. Sein Name (=σíφαρον) ist ein uraltes Lehnwort des Seewesens und bezeichnet ursprünglich ein linnenes Segel’; Marquardt Privatl. pp. 484 sqq. ed. 2 ‘das linnene Frauenkleid, welches zuerst in Mode kam, war das supparum. Das Wort ist … identisch mit siparum oder σíφαρoσ (das Segel)’; Lindsay Lat. Lang. p. 29 ‘supparum, with byform siparum’; Walde Lat. etym. Wörterb. ‘supparum, Toppsegel, Bramsegel, auch siparum, sipharum, aus gr. σíπαρoσ,σíφαρoς entlehnt’; KellerLat. Volksetym. p. 106 ‘das Toppsegel heisst lateinisch supparum und supparus, griechisch σíϕαροσ, σíπαρoς’

Type
Research Article
Information
The Classical Quarterly , Volume 13 , Issue 3-4 , July 1919 , pp. 149 - 152
Copyright
Copyright © The Classical Association 1919

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References

page 149 note1 Georges' article on supparum is reproduced, false quantities and all, in Saalfeld's teusaurus Italograecus.

page 149 note 2 Not even Greek is copious enough for our etymologers, who enrich it with the forms σéπαρς and σéφαoν: Schuchardt Vokal. d. Vulgärlat. IIp. 228, Ernout Elem. dial. Lat. p. 234, Keller Lat. Volksetym. pp. 106, 168, 175, Saalfeld Italo-graeca II p. 26, Weise Griech. Wört. im. Lat. pp. 69, 181, 293, 517, Walde Lat. etym. Wörterb. s. u. supparum.

page 150 note 1 The lateness of this form is recognised, though not to the full, by Studniczka l.c.

page 151 note 1 Mr Lindsay has siparum in his text but supparum in his index, or rather Otto's index, which he has taken over without adapting it duly to his own recension or eliminating its mis-prints and other errors.