Printer print
← previous
Variants - Reference - Meanings - Comments - Occurrences - Etymology - Images - Research Literature
next →
Cucumis_sativus_bd4_tafel_089

hwer-hwette

noun, f., n-decl., 16 occ.

Type: plant

Last Update: 07.07.2011 18:00

Old-English: hwervhete, hwærhwætte, hwerwette, verhvete, hservhete,

Latin (Machine generated): CUCUMER, CUCUMERIS, SILUATICA, [C]UCUMERES,

↑ top

Reference Last Update: 26.12.2022 16:37

Meanings Last Update: 16.12.2009 09:51

  • B: plant: foreign
    Ecballium elaterium Rich., squirting cucumber, Eselsgurke
  • A: plant: foreign
    ? Cucumis sativus L., cucumber, Gurke
↑ top

Comments Last Update: 07.07.2011 17:59

  • Comment on (A): ? Cucumis sativus L., cucumber, Gurke

    According to Hunger (cf. 1935,168) the plant described in the L HA, ch. CXV is C. sativus.

    Etymology: cf. Holthausen (1974, s.v.): "hwerhwette f. 'Gurke', zu ai. karkatị$ 'eine Kürbisart', s. WP. I,426." Hwer- belongs to the IGMC root *kųer- (in forms denoting 'sth. bowl- or cup-like'). Also cf. ON hverr 'cauldron, Kessel', OE hwer, OHG hwer (cf. Pokorny 1989,I,642). The second part of the compound Förster (1917,131) reluctantly links to OE hwettan 'whet, wetzen'): "Ob das öfter belegte ae. hwerhwette 'gurke' zu ae. hwer 'kessel' [...] und ae. hwettan 'wetzen' gehört (vgl. nhd. wetzsteinkraut für Ononis re-pens), ist sehr zweifelhaft." We have to note that the form of a cucumber does resemble a whetstone used to sharpen scythes or sickles in Anglo-Saxon times (cf. Brasch 1919,105). The gloss AntK 85,2 (WW 123,28) CUCUMA :cyperen hwer[1] seems to be proof for Förster's assumption that OE hwer and the compound element hwer- are indeed related: so hwer-hwette can easily be seen as folk-etymological transformation of the loan word →cyrfæt to hwer and hwettan.

  • Comment on (B): Ecballium elaterium Rich., squirting cucumber, Eselsgurke

    D'Aronco suggests Ecballium elaterium Rich., squirting cucumber, based on André (1985, s.v.) and the description in the HA: "grows near the sea in hot places." (Van Arsdall 2002,199).

↑ top

Occurrences Last Update: 18.11.2010 06:40

  • AntFö, 131,200 CUCUMER hwerhwette
  • Br,WW, 296,12 CUCUMERIS hwærhwætte
  • C 16, Prog, Förster, Archiv 125, 50/101f [C]UCUMERES hwerhwettan
  • Dur, 137 CUCUMERIS hservhete UEL verhvete
  • HA, CXV, 228/3 nsg Hwerhwette
  • HA, CXV, 228/5 asg þe man CUCUMERERA SILUATICUM 7 oþum naman hwerhwette nemneþ
  • HA, CXV, 46/1 nsg CUCUMERIS SILUATICA ƀ is hwerhwette
  • LA, 118/10 asg hwerhwettan
  • LA, 160/1 asg hwerhwettan
  • Laud, 1312[2] SILUATICA hwerhwette
  • LB, 102/32 nsg hwerhwette
  • LB, 103/23 asg hwerhwettan
  • LB, 21/5f[3] nsg hwerhwette
  • LB, 81/2[4] nsg hwerwe hatte
  • LB, 89/6 asg hwerhwettan
  • LB, 96/5f asg hwerhwettan
↑ top

Etymology Last Update: 07.07.2011 18:00

  • Etymology: Etymology-Comment:
  • Word-Formation:
  • Word-Formation-Comment:
↑ top

Images Last Update: 07.07.2011 18:00

? Cucumis sativus L., cucumber, Gurke
Cucumis_sativus_bd4_tafel_089

Botanical-Information: stylised plate

Source: →reference-information

Thomé, Otto Wilhelm. Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz. In 4 Mappen ; 531 Tafeln in naturgetreuen Farben mit 668 Pflanzenarten. Leipzip: Teubner, 1938.

Ecballium elaterium Rich., squirting cucumber, Eselsgurke
Ecballium_elaterium

Source: →reference-information

↑ top

Research Literature

AntFö: Förster, Max. "Die altenglische Glossenhandschrift Plantinus 32 (Antwerpen) und Additional 32246 (London)." Anglia 41 (1917): 94-161.
Br: Logeman, Henri. "Zu Wright-Wülker I, 204-303." Archiv 85 (1890): 316-318.
BW I: Bierbaumer, Peter. Der botanische Wortschatz des Altenglischen. Grazer Beiträge zur Englischen Philologie 1. Bern, Frankfurt am Main: Lang, 1975.
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.
LA, Lor: Grattan, John Henry Grafton, and Charles Singer. Anglo-Saxon Magic and Medicine. London: Oxford Univ. Press, 1952.
Laud: Stracke, J. Richard (ed.). The Laud Herbal Glossary. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1974.
LA: Cockayne, Oswald Thomas (ed.). "[Lacnunga] Recipies." 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. 3. Rev. Ed. by Charles Singer. London: Holland Press, 1961. 2-81.
LB: Cockayne, Oswald Thomas (ed.). "Leech Book." 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. 2. Rev. Ed. by Charles Singer. London: Longman [et. al.], 1961. 1-360.
LB: Leonhardi, Günther. Kleinere angelsächsische Denkmäler I. Bibliothek der ags. Prosa VI. Hamburg: Grand, 1905.
Prog: Förster, Max. "Beiträge zur mittelalterlichen Volkskunde IV." Archiv 125 (1970): 47-70 (art. a).
WW, Prosp, Br: Wright, Thomas. Anglo-Saxon and Old English Vocabularies. 2nd ed. by Richard Paul Wülcker. Reprint of the 1884 ed. published by Trübner, London. Vol. 1: Vocabularies. Vol. 2: Indices. New York: Gordon, 1976.
Berberich, Hugo, ed. Das Herbarium Apuleii nach einer früh-mittelenglischen Fassung. Anglistische Forschungen 5. Nachdruck Amsterdam, 1966. Heidelberg: Winter, 1902.
Brasch, Carl. Die Namen der Werkzeuge im Altenglischen. Diss. Leipzig: August Hoffmann, 1910.
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.
Deegan, Marilyn. A Critical Edition of MS. B.L. Royal 12.D.XVII: Bald's 'Leechbook'. Diss. Univ. of Manchester. 1988.
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.
Grein, Christian-Wilhelm-Michael (ed.). Bibliothek der angelsächsischen Poesie. Göttingen: Wigand, 1864.
Hankins, Freda Richards. Bald's 'Leechbook' Reconsidered. Diss. Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 1993.
Hilbelink, A.J.G. (ed.). Cotton MS Vitellius C III of the Herbarium Apuleii. Diss. Amsterdam: 1930.
Holthausen, Ferdinand. "Die altenglischen Beda-Glossen." Archiv 136 (1917): 290-292.
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.
MS London, British Library, Royal 12 D.xvii.
MS London, British Library, Harley 585.
MS London, British Library, Cotton Vitellius C iii.
MS London, British Library, Harley 6258b.
MS London, British Library, Cotton Tiberius A.iii.
MS Antwerp, Plantin-Moretus Museum, 47.
MS London, British Library, Add. 32246.
MS Brussels, Bibliotheque Royale, 1828-30.
MS Durham, Cathedral, Hunter 100.
MS Oxford, Bodleian, Laud Misc. 567.
Olds, Barbara M.. The Anglo-Saxon Leechbook III: A Critical Edition and Translation. Diss. Univ. of Denver. 1985.
Pettit, Edward, (ed. and trans.). Anglo-Saxon Remedies, Charms and Prayers from British Library MS Harley 585: the 'Lacnunga'. Vol. I: Introduction, Text, Translation, and Appendices. Vol. II: Commentary and Bibliography. Mellen Critical Editions and Translations. 6A and 6B. Lewiston, Queenston and Lampeter: Mellen, 2001.
Pokorny, Julius. Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. 2 Bde., 2. Auflage. Bern u.a.: Francke, 1989.
Van Arsdall, Anne. Medieval Herbal Remedies. Illustrations by Robby Poore. New York and London: Routledge, 2002.
Wright, Cyril E. (ed.). Bald's Leechbook. Early English manuscripts in facsimile. 5. Kopenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger, 1955.
[1]:

Cf. Is. 20,8,3 (DE VASIS COQUINARIIS): CACCABUS ET CUCUMA A SONO FERVORIS COGNOMINATUR.

[2]:

N.: "The lemma stands for CUCUMERIS SILUATICA, as in CGL III 545,63, 546,8".

[3]:

Cockayne reads huerwette.

[4]:

Cf. hwerwe.