tamarīx

Meaning

1. tamarisk

Declension

Origins

Unknown, but considered a loan word. Often connected to the Celtic river Tamaris (“the river Tambre”) and the tribe Tamaricī that dwelt there. Since the fruits of various Tamarix species have been used extensively to avail soul and body as manna and كَزْمَازَج (kazmāzaj) by the Eastern peoples and – speaking of the Iberian which coast has been colonized by speakers of Semitic languages – Afroasiatics held a considerable part of the Mediterranean coastlines where the tamarisk could be encountered, it may also be a derivation of a cognate of Arabic ثَمَر (ṯamar, “fruits”), however not from Phoenician in so far as the corresponding first consonant would be 𐤔 (š), but from Aramaic where it is ת (t) or from a less known relative. However it is apt to connect the Ancient Greek designation for the tamarisk, μυρίκη (muríkē). It seemingly contains the same suffix while only the Latin begins with a separable formans, perhaps the Late Egyptian definite article tꜣ (/⁠tə⁠/, “the”), or Berber where ta- forms feminine singulatives. Compare myrīcē.