ζίζυφον
ὦ δυσπάλαιστον γῆρας, ὡς μισῶ σ' ἔχων, μισῶ δ' ὅσοι χρῄζουσιν ἐκτείνειν βίον, βρωτοῖσι καὶ ποτοῖσι καὶ μαγεύμασι παρεκτρέποντες ὀχετὸν ὥστε μὴ θανεῖν: οὓς χρῆν, ἐπειδὰν μηδὲν ὠφελῶσι γῆν, θανόντας ἔρρειν κἀκποδὼν εἶναι νέοις → Old age, resistless foe, how do I loathe your presence! Them too I loathe, whoever desire to lengthen out the span of life, seeking to turn the tide of death aside by food and drink and magic spells; those whom death should take away to leave the young their place, when they no more can benefit the world
English (LSJ)
τό, a tree, the fruit of which is A the jujube, Zizyphus vulgaris, Gp.10.3.4; ziziphus, Colum.9.4.3: gen. pl. zizuforum, Edict. Diocl.6.56.
German (Pape)
[Seite 1140] τό, rhamnus jujuba (die Frucht jujubae wird in den Apotheken gebraucht), Geop.
Frisk Etymological English
Grammatical information: n.
Meaning: a tree of which the fruit is the jujube, Rhamnus jujuba (Colum., Edict. Diocl., Gp.).
Origin: LW [a loanword which is (probably) not of Pre-Greek origin] Orient.
Etymology: Origin unknown. From Greek comes Fr. jujube (from where MLat. jujuba), perhaps also Syr. zūzfā; s. Sommer Lautstud. 154, W.-Hofmann s. jujuba. I see no reason for Szemerényi's suggestion (from Durante, AION-L 8 (1968) 25f) for original *ζυζυφον. Barnhart, Dict. of Etym., 1988, says that it comes from Persian zayzafun. It could be Pre-Greek (cf. σέσυφος, Σίσυφος).
Frisk Etymology German
ζίζυφον: {zízuphon}
Grammar: n.
Meaning: Brustbeerbaum, Rhamnus jujuba (Colum., Edict. Diocl., Gp.).
Etymology : Herkunft unbekannt. Aus dem Griech. stammt u. a. frz. jujube (woraus mlat. jujuba), vielleicht auch syr. zūzfā; s. Sommer Lautstud. 154, W.-Hofmann s. jujuba.
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