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foxes fōt

noun, m., root decl., 6 occ.

Type: plant

Last Update: 16.05.2011 11:31

Meanings Last Update: 16.05.2011 11:02

  • C: plant: foreign
    ?? Gladiolus italicus Mill., field gladiolus, Saat-Siegwurz
  • B: plant: native
    ??? Sparganium emersum Reh., unbranched bur-reed, Einfacher Igelkolben
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Comments Last Update: 16.05.2011 11:27

  • Comment on (B): ??? Sparganium emersum Reh., unbranched bur-reed, Einfacher Igelkolben

    For several reasons this identification presented in Bierbaumer (1976, s.v.) is no longer valid: the identification was based on Cockayne (1961,2,385); Hoops (1889,18) suggests: "foxesfōt, Fuchsfuss, für den Igelskopf (Sparganium simplex L.), wohl wegen der auffälligen Fruchtstände." It was taken over as identification for XIFION in HA by Hunger (cf. 1935,167). But XIFION denotes Gladiolus italicus Mill. (cf. André 1985, s.v.).[1] Additionally ModE fox's foot does not denote S. emersum but Dactylis glomerata L., Knäulgras (cf. Britten / Holland, s.v.), which according to Dony (1986, s.v) is also called 'cock's foot; there is no obvious relation to S. emersum.

  • Comment on (C): ?? Gladiolus italicus Mill., field gladiolus, Saat-Siegwurz

    XIFION denotes Gladiolus italicus Mill. (cf. André 1985, s.v.). But ModE 'fox's foot' does no have any relation to G. italicus either: no compound plant name with the element 'fox' denotes a gladiolus species (cf. Marzell and Britten / Holland). Based on the L lemma it can only be seen as a likely identification for HA.

    I suggest that the translation was caused by a misinterpretation[2] of L ADIPES UULPINUS (OE foxes smeoruwes) as PES UULPINUS[3] but we would have to assume that the the translator of the pant names was a different person than the translator of ASIPES UULPINUS,[4] which was translated correctly. DeVriend (1984,299) argues that this thesis is not supported by manuscript evidence.

    In ME XIFION is translated with voxesfot and anglice foxesgloven (Hunt, 1989, s.v.). Cf. DOE, s.v. 'fox'.

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Occurrences Last Update: 02.11.2010 14:48

  • C 36, Gaugh S.276 EXIFIONM foxesfot
  • Dur, 341 XIFION foxesfot
  • HA, XLVII, 150/13[5] nsg Foxesfot
  • HA, XLVII, 150/16 asg þe man XIFION 7 oþrum naman foxes fot nemneþ
  • HA, XLVII, 24/7 nsg XIFION ƀ is foxes fot
  • Laud, 1531 YXIFION foxesfot
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Etymology Last Update: 16.05.2011 11:31

  • Etymology: Etymology-Comment:
  • Word-Formation:
  • Word-Formation-Comment:
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Research Literature

BW II: Bierbaumer, Peter. Der botanische Wortschatz des Altenglischen. Grazer Beiträge zur Englischen Philologie 2. Bern, Frankfurt am Main, München: Lang, 1976.
BW III: Bierbaumer, Peter. Der botanische Wortschatz des Altenglischen. Grazer Beiträge zur Englischen Philologie 3. Frankfurt am Main, Bern, Las Vegas: Lang, 1979.
Dur: Lindheim, B. von. Das Durhamer Pflanzenglossar. Beiträge zur englischen Philologie. 35. Bochum-Langendreer: Pöppinghaus, 1941.
HA: Cockayne, Oswald Thomas (ed.). "Herbarium Apuleii Platonici." In: Leechdoms, Wortcunning and Starcraft of Early England. Being a Collection of Documents, for the Most Part never before Printed, Illustrating the History of Sience in this Country before the Norman Conquest. Vol. 1. Rev. Ed. by Charles Singer. London: Holland Press, 1961. 1-325.
Laud: Stracke, J. Richard (ed.). The Laud Herbal Glossary. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1974.
Berberich, Hugo, ed. Das Herbarium Apuleii nach einer früh-mittelenglischen Fassung. Anglistische Forschungen 5. Nachdruck Amsterdam, 1966. Heidelberg: Winter, 1902.
Bierbaumer, Peter. "Zu J.V. Goughs Ausgabe einiger altenglischer Glossen." Anglia 95, 1/2 (1977): 115-121.
Bonser, Wilfrid. The Medical Background of Anglo-Saxon England. London: Wellcome Historical Medical Library, 1963.
D'Aronco, Maria Amalia and M. L. Cameron, eds.. The Old English Illustrated Pharmacopoeia: British Library Cotton Vitellius C.III. Early English Manuscripts in Faksimile 27. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger, 1998.
DeVriend, Hubert Jan (ed.). The 'Old English Herbarium' and 'Medicina de Quadrupedibus'. Early English Text Society. Original series 286. London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1984.
Gough, J. V. (ed.). "Some Old English Glosses." Anglia 92 (1974): 273-290.
Hilbelink, A.J.G. (ed.). Cotton MS Vitellius C III of the Herbarium Apuleii. Diss. Amsterdam: 1930.
Howald, Ernestus und Henricus Sigerist (eds.). Corpus Medicorum Latinorum. Bd.4. Antonii Musae de Herba Vettonica Liber. Pseudoapulei Herbarius. Anonymi de Taxone Liber. Sexti Placiti Liber Medicinae ex Animalibus etc. Leipzig: Teubner, 1927.
Hunger, Friedrich Wilhelm Tobias (ed.). The Herbal of Pseudo-Apuleius. From the ninth-century manuscript in the abbey of Monte Cassino [Codex Casinen-sis 97] together with the first printed edition of Jon. Phil. de Lignamine [Editio princeps Romae 1481] both in facsimile, described and annotated by F.W.T. Hunger. Leyden: Brill, 1935.
Hunt, Tony. Plant Names of Mediaeval England. Cambridge: Brewer, 1989.
Jordan, Richard. Die altenglischen Säugetiernamen. Anglistische Forschungen 12. Nachdruck der ausg. 1903. Amsterdam: Swets [u.] Zeitlinger, 1967.
MS London, British Library, Harley 585.
MS London, British Library, Cotton Vitellius C iii.
MS London, British Library, Harley 6258b.
MS Oxford, Bodleian, Ashmole 1431.
MS Durham, Cathedral, Hunter 100.
MS Oxford, Bodleian, Laud Misc. 567.
Van Arsdall, Anne. Medieval Herbal Remedies. Illustrations by Robby Poore. New York and London: Routledge, 2002.
[1]:

In Dioscorides IV,20 (Berendes 1902,376) ξιφίον is Gladiolus communis L., field gladiolus, Gewöhnliche Siegwurz.

[2]:

Howald / Sigerist 46,3ff: HERBAE XIFION RADIX UNCIAE VI, AMULI UNCIAE VI, ACETI CIATI II, ADIPES UULPINUS UNCIAE III.

[3]:

Fox glosses UULPES, etc. several times; cf. Jordan (1967,66).

[4]:

The missing OE plant names, i.e. where L plant names were not translated, would indicate this.

[5]:

Missing in V; foxes fot BH.