Lakońskie nazwy palmy daktylowej i gałęzi palmowej
Laconian Names for Date Palm and Palm Leaf

Summary/Abstract: The paper discusses two Hesychian glosses (of Laconian origin) denoting ‘date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L.’: βουάκραι• οἱ φοίνικες, ὑπὸ Λακώνων (HAL β-868) and σελίαρ• φοίνιξ (HAL σ-382), as well as the third gloss for ‘leaf of the date palm’: σαρίρ• κλάδος φοίνικος, Λάκωνες (HAL σ-212). The Laconian word βουάκρᾱ f. represents a Doric compound containing the element βοῦ ‘big, great, many’ and the Greek appellative ἄκρᾱ (= Ionic ἄκρη) f. ‘summit, top’. It means originally ‘(a tree) having a great summit’. Indeed, the long pinnate branches of the date palm form an impressive tree crown. Also the dialectal noun σελίαρ m. ‘date palm’ (< *σαλίαρ < Lac. *σαλλίας < Doric *θαλλίας) refers to an abundance of palm leaves, cf. Gk. θαλία f. ‘abundance’, θαλλία f. ‘foliage, leaf-buds or twigs’, θαλλός m. ‘young branch, shoot’, θαλλοί m. pl. ‘palm-leaves’. The Hesychian term σαρίρ f. ‘palm leaf’ derives from Late Laconian *σαλίρ (< Lac. *σαλλίς < Doric *θαλλίς) by a regressive assimilation of two liquids.

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