فصفص

Arabic

فصفص

فصفص

Etymology

PIE word
*h₁éḱwos

Borrowed from Aramaic אַסְפַּסְתָּא (ʾaspastā) / ܐܰܣܦܷܣܬܳܐ (ʾaspestā, “lucerne”), from Akkadian 𒊍𒉺𒊍𒋾 (aspastu, “presumably lucerne”), from Old Median *aspāstiš (“lucerne”), from Proto-Iranian *HacwaHastiš (“lucerne”, literally “horse-food”) from Proto-Iranian *Hácwah (“horse”) + Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- (“related to eating”) +‎ *-tis, the Assyrians having it borrowed when modelling their cavalry after the Medes and thus taking over this name for a plant serving as horsefood, passing it to the Babylonian. So the most likely chain.

Noun

فَصْفَص or فِصْفِص • (faṣfaṣ or fiṣfiṣ) m (collective, singulative فَصْفَصَة f (faṣfaṣa) or فِصْفِصَة (fiṣfiṣa), plural فَصَافِص (faṣāfiṣ))

1. lucerne, alfalfa (Medicago sativa and its produce)

   Synonyms: رَطْبَة (raṭba), بِرْسِيم حِجَازِيّ (birsīm ḥijāziyy)

Declension

Declension of noun فَصْفَص (faṣfaṣ)‎; فِصْفِص (fiṣfiṣ)

Collective	basic collective triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فَصْفَص‎; فِصْفِص faṣfaṣ‎; fiṣfiṣ	الْفَصْفَص‎; الْفِصْفِص al-faṣfaṣ‎; al-fiṣfiṣ	فَصْفَص‎; فِصْفِص faṣfaṣ‎; fiṣfiṣ
Nominative	فَصْفَصٌ‎; فِصْفِصٌ faṣfaṣun‎; fiṣfiṣun	الْفَصْفَصُ‎; الْفِصْفِصُ al-faṣfaṣu‎; al-fiṣfiṣu	فَصْفَصُ‎; فِصْفِصُ faṣfaṣu‎; fiṣfiṣu
Accusative	فَصْفَصًا‎; فِصْفِصًا faṣfaṣan‎; fiṣfiṣan	الْفَصْفَصَ‎; الْفِصْفِصَ al-faṣfaṣa‎; al-fiṣfiṣa	فَصْفَصَ‎; فِصْفِصَ faṣfaṣa‎; fiṣfiṣa
Genitive	فَصْفَصٍ‎; فِصْفِصٍ faṣfaṣin‎; fiṣfiṣin	الْفَصْفَصِ‎; الْفِصْفِصِ al-faṣfaṣi‎; al-fiṣfiṣi	فَصْفَصِ‎; فِصْفِصِ faṣfaṣi‎; fiṣfiṣi
Singulative	singulative triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فَصْفَصَة‎; فِصْفِصَة faṣfaṣa‎; fiṣfiṣa	الْفَصْفَصَة‎; الْفِصْفِصَة al-faṣfaṣa‎; al-fiṣfiṣa	فَصْفَصَة‎; فِصْفِصَة faṣfaṣat‎; fiṣfiṣat
Nominative	فَصْفَصَةٌ‎; فِصْفِصَةٌ faṣfaṣatun‎; fiṣfiṣatun	الْفَصْفَصَةُ‎; الْفِصْفِصَةُ al-faṣfaṣatu‎; al-fiṣfiṣatu	فَصْفَصَةُ‎; فِصْفِصَةُ faṣfaṣatu‎; fiṣfiṣatu
Accusative	فَصْفَصَةً‎; فِصْفِصَةً faṣfaṣatan‎; fiṣfiṣatan	الْفَصْفَصَةَ‎; الْفِصْفِصَةَ al-faṣfaṣata‎; al-fiṣfiṣata	فَصْفَصَةَ‎; فِصْفِصَةَ faṣfaṣata‎; fiṣfiṣata
Genitive	فَصْفَصَةٍ‎; فِصْفِصَةٍ faṣfaṣatin‎; fiṣfiṣatin	الْفَصْفَصَةِ‎; الْفِصْفِصَةِ al-faṣfaṣati‎; al-fiṣfiṣati	فَصْفَصَةِ‎; فِصْفِصَةِ faṣfaṣati‎; fiṣfiṣati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فَصْفَصَتَيْن‎; فِصْفِصَتَيْن faṣfaṣatayn‎; fiṣfiṣatayn	الْفَصْفَصَتَيْن‎; الْفِصْفِصَتَيْن al-faṣfaṣatayn‎; al-fiṣfiṣatayn	فَصْفَصَتَيْ‎; فِصْفِصَتَيْ faṣfaṣatay‎; fiṣfiṣatay
Nominative	فَصْفَصَتَانِ‎; فِصْفِصَتَانِ faṣfaṣatāni‎; fiṣfiṣatāni	الْفَصْفَصَتَانِ‎; الْفِصْفِصَتَانِ al-faṣfaṣatāni‎; al-fiṣfiṣatāni	فَصْفَصَتَا‎; فِصْفِصَتَا faṣfaṣatā‎; fiṣfiṣatā
Accusative	فَصْفَصَتَيْنِ‎; فِصْفِصَتَيْنِ faṣfaṣatayni‎; fiṣfiṣatayni	الْفَصْفَصَتَيْنِ‎; الْفِصْفِصَتَيْنِ al-faṣfaṣatayni‎; al-fiṣfiṣatayni	فَصْفَصَتَيْ‎; فِصْفِصَتَيْ faṣfaṣatay‎; fiṣfiṣatay
Genitive	فَصْفَصَتَيْنِ‎; فِصْفِصَتَيْنِ faṣfaṣatayni‎; fiṣfiṣatayni	الْفَصْفَصَتَيْنِ‎; الْفِصْفِصَتَيْنِ al-faṣfaṣatayni‎; al-fiṣfiṣatayni	فَصْفَصَتَيْ‎; فِصْفِصَتَيْ faṣfaṣatay‎; fiṣfiṣatay
Paucal (3-10)	sound feminine paucal
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فَصْفَصَات‎; فِصْفِصَات faṣfaṣāt‎; fiṣfiṣāt	الْفَصْفَصَات‎; الْفِصْفِصَات al-faṣfaṣāt‎; al-fiṣfiṣāt	فَصْفَصَات‎; فِصْفِصَات faṣfaṣāt‎; fiṣfiṣāt
Nominative	فَصْفَصَاتٌ‎; فِصْفِصَاتٌ faṣfaṣātun‎; fiṣfiṣātun	الْفَصْفَصَاتُ‎; الْفِصْفِصَاتُ al-faṣfaṣātu‎; al-fiṣfiṣātu	فَصْفَصَاتُ‎; فِصْفِصَاتُ faṣfaṣātu‎; fiṣfiṣātu
Accusative	فَصْفَصَاتٍ‎; فِصْفِصَاتٍ faṣfaṣātin‎; fiṣfiṣātin	الْفَصْفَصَاتِ‎; الْفِصْفِصَاتِ al-faṣfaṣāti‎; al-fiṣfiṣāti	فَصْفَصَاتِ‎; فِصْفِصَاتِ faṣfaṣāti‎; fiṣfiṣāti
Genitive	فَصْفَصَاتٍ‎; فِصْفِصَاتٍ faṣfaṣātin‎; fiṣfiṣātin	الْفَصْفَصَاتِ‎; الْفِصْفِصَاتِ al-faṣfaṣāti‎; al-fiṣfiṣāti	فَصْفَصَاتِ‎; فِصْفِصَاتِ faṣfaṣāti‎; fiṣfiṣāti
Plural of variety	basic broken plural diptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فَصَافِص faṣāfiṣ	الْفَصَافِص al-faṣāfiṣ	فَصَافِص faṣāfiṣ
Nominative	فَصَافِصُ faṣāfiṣu	الْفَصَافِصُ al-faṣāfiṣu	فَصَافِصُ faṣāfiṣu
Accusative	فَصَافِصَ faṣāfiṣa	الْفَصَافِصَ al-faṣāfiṣa	فَصَافِصَ faṣāfiṣa
Genitive	فَصَافِصَ faṣāfiṣa	الْفَصَافِصِ al-faṣāfiṣi	فَصَافِصِ faṣāfiṣi

Descendants

• → Catalan: alfals
• → Portuguese: alfafa
• → Spanish: alfalfa, alfalfez
  • → English: alfalfa
    • → Irish: alfalfa
    • → Welsh: alffalffa
  • → Italian: alfalfa

References

• “ˀspstˀ”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• “aspastu”, in The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (CAD)‎^[1], volume 1, A, part 1, Chicago: University of Chicago Oriental Institute, 1964, pages 338–339
• Dandamayev, Muhammad A. (1992) Iranians in Achaemenid Babylonia (Columbia Lectures on Iranian Studies; 6), Costa Mesa, California, New York: Mazda Publishers in association with Bibliotheca Persica, →ISBN, pages 16–17
• Dozy, Reinhart Pieter Anne (1881) “فصفص”, in Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes‎^[2] (in French), volume 1, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 271
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1880) De vocabulis in antiquis Arabum carminibus et in Corano peregrinis‎^[3] (in Latin), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 10
• Freytag, Georg (1835) “فصفص”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[4] (in Latin), volume 3, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 352
• Lane, Edward William (1863) “فصفص”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[5], London: Williams & Norgate, page 2403
• Laufer, Berthold (1919) Sino-Iranica: Chinese contributions to the history of civilization in ancient Iran, with special reference to the history of cultivated plants and products (Fieldiana, Anthropology; 15), volume 3, Chicago: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, pages 208–219
• Löw, Immanuel (1924) Die Flora der Juden‎^[6] (in German), volume 2, Wien und Leipzig: R. Löwit, pages 463–464
• Zimmern, Heinrich (1915) Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss (in German), Leipzig: A. Edelmann, page 56