ζίζυφον
Τί ὕπνος; Καμάτων ἀνάπαυσις, ἰατρῶν κατόρθωμα, δεδεμένων λύσις, ἀγρυπνούντων σοφία, νοσούντων εὐχή, θανάτου εἰκών, ταλαιπωρούντων ἐπιθυμία, πάσης πνοῆς ἡσυχία, πλουσίων ἐπιτήδευμα, πενήτων ἀδολεσχία, καθημερινὴ μελέτη. → What is sleep? Rest from toil, the success of physicians, the release of those who are bound, the wisdom of the wakeful, what sick men pray for, an image of death, the desire of those who toil in hardship, the rest of all the spirit, a principal occupation of the rich, the idle chatter of poor men, a daily object of concern.
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).
