plant (biol.) → gunpowder 7 realizations
ACCEPTED Realization 1
type Semantic evolution
language 1 Ancient Greek
language 2 Byzantine Greek
lexeme βοτάνη
meaning 1 plant
direction →
meaning 2 gunpowder
reference
comment Buck 1397
ACCEPTED Realization 2
type Polysemy
language Botlikh
lexeme гьунчIа
meaning 1 grass, plant (biol.)
direction →
meaning 2 (gun)powder
reference Alekseev, Azaev 2019: 182
comment
ACCEPTED Realization 3
type Cognates
language 1 Church Slavonic
language 2 Russian
lexeme 1 sелїе
lexeme 2 zel'e
meaning 1 plant Егда же возрастетъ, болѣе всѣхъ sелїй есть…
and when it grows up, it [the mustard seed] gets bigger than any other plant (Mathew 13, 32)
direction →
meaning 2 gunpowder (obs.)
reference
comment Седакова 2005, 126
ACCEPTED Realization 4
type Derivation
language Latvian
lexeme 1 zāle
lexeme 2 bi(s)zāles (pl.)
meaning 1 grass, plant
direction →
meaning 2 gunpowder
reference
comment The first part is derived from bise 'gun'. The semantic calque from Mid. High Germ. Büssenkrūt Buck 1397
ACCEPTED Realization 5
type Polysemy
language Middle High German
lexeme krūt
meaning 1 plant, herb
direction →
meaning 2 gunpowder
reference
comment Hence the Germ. Kraut 'grass, top', Dan. krudt 'gunpowder', Swed.krut 'gunpowder', Dutch. Kruit 'gunpowder', kruid 'plant'
ACCEPTED Realization 6
type Derivation
language Osetin
lexeme 1 xos
lexeme 2 toppyxos
meaning 1 hay
direction →
meaning 2 gunpowder
reference
comment Абаев 4, 220-221
ACCEPTED Realization 7
type Polysemy
language Romanian
lexeme iarbă
meaning 1 grass, plant
direction →
meaning 2 gunpowder
reference DEX98
comment DEX98

© Anna A. Zalizniak et al. 2000-2025