فصفص
Arabic
Etymology
| PIE word |
|---|
| *h₁éḱwos |
Borrowed from Aramaic אַסְפַּסְתָּא (ʾaspastā) / ܐܰܣܦܷܣܬܳܐ (ʾaspestā, “lucerne”), from Akkadian 𒊍𒉺𒊍𒋾 (aspastu, “presumably lucerne”), from Old Median *aspāstiš (“lucerne”), from Proto-Iranian *HacwaHastiš (“lucerne”, literally “horse-food”) from Proto-Iranian *Hácwah (“horse”) + Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- (“related to eating”) + *-tis, the Assyrians having it borrowed when modelling their cavalry after the Medes and thus taking over this name for a plant serving as horse food, passing it to the Babylonian, which is the most likely linguistic evolution.
Noun
فَصْفَص or فِصْفِص • (faṣfaṣ or fiṣfiṣ) m (collective, singulative فَصْفَصَة f (faṣfaṣa) or فِصْفِصَة (fiṣfiṣa), plural فَصَافِص (faṣāfiṣ))
- lucerne, alfalfa (Medicago sativa and its produce)
- Synonyms: رَطْبَة (raṭba), بِرْسِيم حِجَازِيّ (birsīm ḥijāziyy)
Declension
| collective | basic collective triptote | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | construct | |
| informal | فَصْفَص; فِصْفِص faṣfaṣ; fiṣfiṣ |
الْفَصْفَص; الْفِصْفِص al-faṣfaṣ; al-fiṣfiṣ |
فَصْفَص; فِصْفِص faṣfaṣ; fiṣfiṣ |
| nominative | فَصْفَصٌ; فِصْفِصٌ faṣfaṣun; fiṣfiṣun |
الْفَصْفَصُ; الْفِصْفِصُ al-faṣfaṣu; al-fiṣfiṣu |
فَصْفَصُ; فِصْفِصُ faṣfaṣu; fiṣfiṣu |
| accusative | فَصْفَصًا; فِصْفِصًا faṣfaṣan; fiṣfiṣan |
الْفَصْفَصَ; الْفِصْفِصَ al-faṣfaṣa; al-fiṣfiṣa |
فَصْفَصَ; فِصْفِصَ faṣfaṣa; fiṣfiṣa |
| genitive | فَصْفَصٍ; فِصْفِصٍ faṣfaṣin; fiṣfiṣin |
الْفَصْفَصِ; الْفِصْفِصِ al-faṣfaṣi; al-fiṣfiṣi |
فَصْفَصِ; فِصْفِصِ faṣfaṣi; fiṣfiṣi |
| singulative | singulative triptote in ـَة (-a) | ||
| indefinite | definite | construct | |
| informal | فَصْفَصَة; فِصْفِصَة faṣfaṣa; fiṣfiṣa |
الْفَصْفَصَة; الْفِصْفِصَة al-faṣfaṣa; al-fiṣfiṣa |
فَصْفَصَة; فِصْفِصَة faṣfaṣat; fiṣfiṣat |
| nominative | فَصْفَصَةٌ; فِصْفِصَةٌ faṣfaṣatun; fiṣfiṣatun |
الْفَصْفَصَةُ; الْفِصْفِصَةُ al-faṣfaṣatu; al-fiṣfiṣatu |
فَصْفَصَةُ; فِصْفِصَةُ faṣfaṣatu; fiṣfiṣatu |
| accusative | فَصْفَصَةً; فِصْفِصَةً faṣfaṣatan; fiṣfiṣatan |
الْفَصْفَصَةَ; الْفِصْفِصَةَ al-faṣfaṣata; al-fiṣfiṣata |
فَصْفَصَةَ; فِصْفِصَةَ faṣfaṣata; fiṣfiṣata |
| genitive | فَصْفَصَةٍ; فِصْفِصَةٍ faṣfaṣatin; fiṣfiṣatin |
الْفَصْفَصَةِ; الْفِصْفِصَةِ al-faṣfaṣati; al-fiṣfiṣati |
فَصْفَصَةِ; فِصْفِصَةِ faṣfaṣati; fiṣfiṣati |
| dual | indefinite | definite | construct |
| informal | فَصْفَصَتَيْن; فِصْفِصَتَيْن faṣfaṣatayn; fiṣfiṣatayn |
الْفَصْفَصَتَيْن; الْفِصْفِصَتَيْن al-faṣfaṣatayn; al-fiṣfiṣatayn |
فَصْفَصَتَيْ; فِصْفِصَتَيْ faṣfaṣatay; fiṣfiṣatay |
| nominative | فَصْفَصَتَانِ; فِصْفِصَتَانِ faṣfaṣatāni; fiṣfiṣatāni |
الْفَصْفَصَتَانِ; الْفِصْفِصَتَانِ al-faṣfaṣatāni; al-fiṣfiṣatāni |
فَصْفَصَتَا; فِصْفِصَتَا faṣfaṣatā; fiṣfiṣatā |
| accusative | فَصْفَصَتَيْنِ; فِصْفِصَتَيْنِ faṣfaṣatayni; fiṣfiṣatayni |
الْفَصْفَصَتَيْنِ; الْفِصْفِصَتَيْنِ al-faṣfaṣatayni; al-fiṣfiṣatayni |
فَصْفَصَتَيْ; فِصْفِصَتَيْ faṣfaṣatay; fiṣfiṣatay |
| genitive | فَصْفَصَتَيْنِ; فِصْفِصَتَيْنِ faṣfaṣatayni; fiṣfiṣatayni |
الْفَصْفَصَتَيْنِ; الْفِصْفِصَتَيْنِ al-faṣfaṣatayni; al-fiṣfiṣatayni |
فَصْفَصَتَيْ; فِصْفِصَتَيْ faṣfaṣatay; fiṣfiṣatay |
| paucal (3-10) | sound feminine paucal | ||
| indefinite | definite | construct | |
| informal | فَصْفَصَات; فِصْفِصَات faṣfaṣāt; fiṣfiṣāt |
الْفَصْفَصَات; الْفِصْفِصَات al-faṣfaṣāt; al-fiṣfiṣāt |
فَصْفَصَات; فِصْفِصَات faṣfaṣāt; fiṣfiṣāt |
| nominative | فَصْفَصَاتٌ; فِصْفِصَاتٌ faṣfaṣātun; fiṣfiṣātun |
الْفَصْفَصَاتُ; الْفِصْفِصَاتُ al-faṣfaṣātu; al-fiṣfiṣātu |
فَصْفَصَاتُ; فِصْفِصَاتُ faṣfaṣātu; fiṣfiṣātu |
| accusative | فَصْفَصَاتٍ; فِصْفِصَاتٍ faṣfaṣātin; fiṣfiṣātin |
الْفَصْفَصَاتِ; الْفِصْفِصَاتِ al-faṣfaṣāti; al-fiṣfiṣāti |
فَصْفَصَاتِ; فِصْفِصَاتِ faṣfaṣāti; fiṣfiṣāti |
| genitive | فَصْفَصَاتٍ; فِصْفِصَاتٍ faṣfaṣātin; fiṣfiṣātin |
الْفَصْفَصَاتِ; الْفِصْفِصَاتِ al-faṣfaṣāti; al-fiṣfiṣāti |
فَصْفَصَاتِ; فِصْفِصَاتِ faṣfaṣāti; fiṣfiṣāti |
| plural of variety | basic broken plural diptote | ||
| indefinite | definite | construct | |
| informal | فَصَافِص faṣāfiṣ |
الْفَصَافِص al-faṣāfiṣ |
فَصَافِص faṣāfiṣ |
| nominative | فَصَافِصُ faṣāfiṣu |
الْفَصَافِصُ al-faṣāfiṣu |
فَصَافِصُ faṣāfiṣu |
| accusative | فَصَافِصَ faṣāfiṣa |
الْفَصَافِصَ al-faṣāfiṣa |
فَصَافِصَ faṣāfiṣa |
| genitive | فَصَافِصَ faṣāfiṣa |
الْفَصَافِصِ al-faṣāfiṣi |
فَصَافِصِ faṣāfiṣi |
Descendants
- → Old Catalan: alfalç
- Catalan: alfals
- → Old Galician-Portuguese: alfalfa, alfarfa
- → Old Spanish: alfalfez
References
- “ˀspstˀ”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
- “aspastu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)[1], volume 1, A, part 1, Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1964, pages 338–339
- Dandamayev, Muhammad A. (1992) Iranians in Achaemenid Babylonia (Columbia Lectures on Iranian Studies; 6), Costa Mesa, California, New York: Mazda Publishers in association with Bibliotheca Persica, →ISBN, pages 16–17
- Dozy, Reinhart Pieter Anne (1881) “فصفص”, in Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes[2] (in French), volume 1, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 271
- Fraenkel, Siegmund (1880) De vocabulis in antiquis Arabum carminibus et in Corano peregrinis[3] (in Latin), Leiden: E. J. Brill, , page 10
- Freytag, Georg (1835) “فصفص”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum[4] (in Latin), volume 3, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 352
- Lane, Edward William (1863-1893) “فصفص”, in Arabic-English Lexicon, London: Williams & Norgate, page 2403.
- Laufer, Berthold (1919) Sino-Iranica: Chinese contributions to the history of civilization in ancient Iran, with special reference to the history of cultivated plants and products (Fieldiana, Anthropology; 15), volume 3, Chicago: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, pages 208–219
- Löw, Immanuel (1924) Die Flora der Juden[5] (in German), volume 2, Wien und Leipzig: R. Löwit, pages 463–464
- Zimmern, Heinrich (1915) Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss (in German), Leipzig: A. Edelmann, page 56