List of Dacian plant names


This is a list of plant names in Dacian, surviving from ancient botanical works such as Dioscorides' De Materia Medica and Pseudo-Apuleius' Herbarius. Dacian plant names are one of the primary sources left to us for studying the Dacian language, an ancient language of South Eastern Europe. This list also includes a Bessian plant name and a Moesian plant name, both neighboring Daco-Thracian tribes, as well as a clear Albanoid name. According to linguist Vladimir I. Georgiev, the suffixes -dela, -dila, -zila and -tilia indicate names of medicinal plants.
DacianEnglishBotanicalNotes
Adila
  1. Bistort
  2. Arum
  • Persicaria bistorta, also classified as Polygonum bistorta
  • Arum maculatum
  • primary source for this meaning as yet unidentified
  • Herb., 14
  • Per Georgiev, from *aydʰ-ilo 'burning' > 'red'.
    Amalusta, Amolusta, or AmulustaChamomileMatricaria recutita or Anthemis tinctoria Herb. 23; possibly related to Albanian ëmbël, ambël "sweet".
    *lustu appears as a proto-Celtic word for "plant".
    Aniarsexe, AniassexieSainfoin a.k.a. CocksheadOnobrychis caput-galii-
    AprusGladwin irisIris foetidissima-
    Arpopria, ArborriaClimbing IvyHedera helix-
    AsaColtsfootTussilago farfaraalso a Bessian plant name.
    Aurumetti, AurimetellumCranesbill a.k.a. crowsfoot or wild geranium ?Geranium sylvaticum or Ranunculus sardous?MM 2.175, Herb. 67
    AzilaHoundstongueCynoglossumProbably a variant of Usazila
    Bles, BlisPurple AmaranthAmaranthus blitum-
    Budalla, Budama, Budathala, BudathlaAnchusaAnchusa italicaPer Georgiev, Boudathla corresponds to bou-glosson 'ox's tongue'; from *gʷṓw-dn̥ǵʰlä 'ox-tongue'.
    Caropithla, Karopithla
    1. Yellow serradella
    2. Common Polypody
  • Ornithopus compressus
  • Polypodium vulgare
  • -
    Cercer, Cerceraphron, Kerker, KerkeraphronPimpernelAnagallis-
    Chodela, KhodelaGround PineLycopodium -
    Cinouboila, Cinuboila, Kinouboila, Kinuboila
  • Wild pumpkin
  • White bryony
  • White grape
  • Cucurbita foetidissima
  • Bryonia alba
  • Vitis
  • a compound of kinu "dog" and oboila "apple", akin to Lithuanian šúnobuolas "wild pumpkin", Thracian dinupula, sinupyla "id". Per Georgiev, literally "hound's apple".
    Coadama, KoadamaPondweedPotamogeton zosteraefolium-
    Coicolida, KoikolidaNightshadeAtropa belladonnathe first element koiko means "one-eyed" or "blind", and is akin to Latin caecus "blind", Irish caoch "one-eyed", Goth haihs "one-eyed", Sanskrit kekara "squint-eyed"
    Cotiata, KotiataSwitchgrassPanicum dactylumalso refers to genus Agropyron?
    Courionnecum, Couriounnecum, Curiounnecum, KourionnekoumArumArum-
    Coustane, Croustane, Crustane, Custane, Koustane, Kroustane, Krustane, KustaneGreater celandine or Lesser celandineChelidonium majus or Ranunculus ficaria-
    Cycolis, KykolisGroundcherry or AshwagandhaPhysalis sp. or Withania somnifera-
    Dacina, Dakina
  • Beet
  • False helleborine
  • Beta vulgaris
  • Veratrum nigrum
  • the Moesian name for these plants was Mendruta
    DicotellaWhite bryonyBryonia alba-
    Diellina, Dielina, Dielleina, DiellenaHenbaneHyoscyamus nigera Proto-Albanoid term, with a clear etymological connection to Albanian dielli < PAlb. *dðiella < *dziella- < EPAlb. *ȷ́élu̯a- < PIE *ǵʰélh₃u̯o- "yellow, golden, bright/shiny".
    DiesapterMulleinVerbascumGeorgiev argued that the word contains the stem *dies 'light, day', also present in Diesema.
    DiessathelWavyleaf mulleinVerbascum sinuatumfrom IE *diwes-sētlo; where the second element meant "sieve"
    DiesemaMulleinVerbascumfrom IE *diyes eusmn. "burning sky" and similar to German Himmelbrand "mullein", literally "burning heavens".
    Diodela, Duodela, Duodella, Ziodela
  • Yarrow?
  • Chamomile
  • Sweet Marjoram
  • Achillea millefolium?
  • Matricaria recutita
  • Origanum majorana
  • -
    DracontosRosemaryRosmarinus officinalis-
    DokelaBugleAjuga iva-
    DynNettleUrtica-
    EbustroneLesser celandineRanunculus ficariaFrom Pseudo-Apuleis
    Gonoleta, Gouoleta, Guoleta, GuoleteGromwellLithospermum tenuiflorumConsumed as an oral contraceptive
    Hormea, HormiaAnnual clarySalvia horminum-
    LaxPurslanePortulaca oleraceaUsed as a laxative
    Manteia, MantiaWoolly blackberryRubus tomentosusrelated to Albanian man "mulberry"
    Mendruta
  • Beet
  • False helleborine
  • Beta vulgaris
  • Veratrum nigrum
  • Actually, a Moesian plant name
    Mizela, Mizila, Mozula, MouzulaThymeThymus-
    NemenepsaGround PineLycopodium-
    OlmaDwarf elder, DanewortSambucus ebulus-
    Parithia, ParthiaDog's Tooth GrassCynodon ?-
    PegrinaWhite bryonyBryonia alba-
    PhithophthethelaMaidenhair fernAdiantum-
    PolpumDillAnethum graveolens-
    Priadela, PriadilaWhite Bryony or Black bryonyBryonia alba or Tamus communis-
    Probedula, Procedila, Propedila, Propedula, PropodilaCreeping CinquefoilPotentilla reptans Procedila< Prokedila, probably a scribal error for *Probedila, a graphic confusion between β/''κ being rather common in Greek manuscripts. Compare to the Gaulish name for this plant, Pempedula.
    Prodiarna, ProdiornaBlack HelleboreHelleborus niger-
    RathibidaItalian asterAster amellus-
    RiborastaBurdockArctium-
    Salia
  • Anise
  • Stinking Tutsan
  • Pimpinella tragium
  • Hypericum hircunum
  • -
    SebaElderberrySambucusGeorgiev equated it to Lithuanian šeivà.
    SkiareWild TeaselDipsacus sylvestris or Dipsacus fullonum-
    Skinpoax, Sipoax, SpioaxBroadleaf PlantainPlantago major-
    Sikupnoex, SikupnuxEryngoEryngium campestre-
    StirsozilaCentauryCentaurium erythraea, formerly classified as Erythraea centauriumfrom Pseudo-Apuleis
    TanidilaCatmintNepeta-
    TeudilaPeppermint or Horsemint or Calamint?Mentha x piperita or Mentha sylvestris or Calamintha?-
    Troutrastra, Trutrastra, Tutrastra
  • Pumpkin
  • Colocynth
  • Cucurbita
  • Citrullus colocynthis
  • -
    Toulbela, TulbelaCentauryCentaurium erythraea-
    UsazilaHound's TongueCynoglossumProbably a variant of Azila
    ZenaPoison HemlockConium maculatum-
    ZiredRedstem WormwoodArtemisia scoparia-
    Zououster, Zuste, ZuusterWormwoodArtemisia arborescens or campestris''-