coriandrum

See also: Coriandrum

Latin

Alternative forms

• coriandron
• coriandrus f

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κορίανδρον (koríandron), of uncertain origin. Sometimes said to be related to κόρις (kóris) ‘bedbug’ from the smell of the leaves and unripe seeds.

Compare Ancient Greek κορίαννον (koríannon), κορίαμβλον (koríamblon), Mycenaean Greek 𐀒𐀪𐁀𐀅𐀙 (ko-ri-ha-da-na), 𐀒𐀪𐀊𐀅𐀙 (ko-ri-ja-da-na), 𐀒𐀪𐀊𐀈𐀜 (ko-ri-ja-do-no), 𐀒𐀪𐀍𐀅𐀙 (ko-ri-jo-da-na), and Akkadian 𒌑𒄷𒌷𒌝 (^úḫurium; ḫuriʾānu).

Beekes supposes that the cluster -dn- implies a Pre-Greek word, and hypothesizes that *koriaⁿdro- may have been dissimilated to *koriaⁿdno-.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ko.riˈan.drum/, [kɔriˈän̪d̪rʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ko.riˈan.drum/, [koriˈän̪d̪rum]

Noun

coriandrum n (genitive coriandrī); second declension

1. coriander

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	coriandrum	coriandra
genitive	coriandrī	coriandrōrum
dative	coriandrō	coriandrīs
accusative	coriandrum	coriandra
ablative	coriandrō	coriandrīs
vocative	coriandrum	coriandra

Descendants

• Italo-Romance:
  • Sicilian: cugghiandru
• Gallo-Italic:
  • Ligurian: colàndro
  • Lombard: colandar
  • Piedmontese: colànder
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: celiandre, celiàndria
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Galician: coandro, coendro, xendro
  • Portuguese: coentro
  • Spanish: culantro, cilantro
    • → English: cilantro
• Borrowings:
  • → Catalan: coriandre
  • → Galician: coriandro
  • → Italian: coriandro ⇒ coriandolo
  • → Old French: coriandre (see there for further descendants)
  • → Old Occitan: coriandre
  • → Proto-West Germanic: *kulljandr (see there for further descendants)
  • → Russian: кориа́ндр (koriándr)
  • → Spanish: coriandro
  • → Translingual: Coriandrum

References

• “coriandrum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• coriandrum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.