polygonum

See also: Polygonum

English

Etymology

From translingual Polygonum, from Ancient Greek πολύγονον (polúgonon, “knotweed”), from πολύς (polús, “many”) +‎ γόνυ (gónu, “knee”), so called in allusion to the numerous joints, or neuter of πολύγονος (polúgonos, “prolific”), from πολύς (polús, “many”) +‎ γόνος (gónos, “offspring”). If the former of those two hypotheses is true, then the word would be related to polygon (from γωνία (gōnía, “corner, angle”), a derivative of γόνυ (gónu)).

Noun

polygonum (plural polygonums or polygona)

1. (botany) Any of many plants, of the family Polygonaceae, embracing a large number of species, including bistort, knotweed, smartweed, etc.

   Near-synonym: polygony

Translations

any plant in the genus Polygonum

• Belarusian: драсён m (drasjón)
• Czech: truskavec (cs) m
• German: Vogelknöteriche (de)
• Kashubian: dërdest
• Lithuanian: rūgtis
• Polish: rdest (pl)
• Serbo-Croatian: dvornik (sh) m
• Ukrainian: гірчак (hirčak)

Latin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús

Ancient Greek πολύς (polús)

Proto-Indo-European *ǵónu

Proto-Hellenic *gónu

Ancient Greek γόνῠ (gónŭ)der.

Ancient Greek γωνία (gōnía)

Ancient Greek -ος (-os)

Ancient Greek πολύγωνος (polúgōnos)

Ancient Greek πολύγωνον (polúgōnon)bor.

Latin polygōnum

Borrowed from Ancient Greek πολύγωνον (polúgōnon).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [pɔ.lyˈɡoː.nũː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [po.liˈɡɔː.num]

Noun

polygōnum n (genitive polygōnī); second declension

1. (mathematics) polygon

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	polygōnum	polygōna
genitive	polygōnī	polygōnōrum
dative	polygōnō	polygōnīs
accusative	polygōnum	polygōna
ablative	polygōnō	polygōnīs
vocative	polygōnum	polygōna

Derived terms

• polygōnālis

Descendants

Descendants

• → Catalan: polígon (learned)
• → Czech: polygon
• → Danish: polygon
• → Dutch: polygoon
• → English: polygon
• → Finnish: polygoni
• → French: polygone (learned)
• → Friulian: poligon (learned)
• → German: Polygon
• → Hungarian: poligon
• → Italian: poligono
• → Polish: poligon
• → Romanian: poligon (learned)
• → Serbo-Croatian: polìgōn
• → Slovak: polygón
• → Swedish: polygon
• → Turkish: poligon

References

• “polygonum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “polygonum”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.