κάστανα

See also: καστανά

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• κᾰ́στᾰνον (kástanon) — rare singular
• κᾰστᾰ́ναιᾰ (kastánaia), κᾰ́στᾰνοι (kástanoi), κᾰστᾰνῐ́αι (kastaníai), κᾰστᾰ́νειᾰ (kastáneia)

Etymology

Borrowed from a substrate, either Pre-Greek or Anatolian. Compare also Old Armenian կասկ (kask, “chestnut”) and Albanian thanë (“cranberry shrub; cornel”) (< Proto-Albanian *tsàna), which appear to be from the same Mediterranean substrate. Has been claimed by ancient writers to derive from Καστανέα (Kastanéa), a location in Magnesia, Thessalia, but the location itself is most likely named after the tree.

Other theories link the word as potentially from Doric Greek κάστον (káston, “wood”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /kás.ta.na/ → /ˈkas.ta.na/ → /ˈkas.ta.na/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /kás.ta.na/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈkas.ta.na/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈkas.ta.na/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈkas.ta.na/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈkas.ta.na/

Noun

κᾰ́στᾰνᾰ • (kástana) n pl (genitive κᾰστᾰ́νων); second declension

1. sweet chestnuts

Declension

Second declension of τᾰ̀ κᾰ́στᾰνᾰ; τῶν κᾰστᾰ́νων (Attic)

Case / #	Plural
Nominative	τᾰ̀ κᾰ́στᾰνᾰ tà kástana
Genitive	τῶν κᾰστᾰ́νων tôn kastánōn
Dative	τοῖς κᾰστᾰ́νοις toîs kastánois
Accusative	τᾰ̀ κᾰ́στᾰνᾰ tà kástana
Vocative	κᾰ́στᾰνᾰ kástana
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

• Greek: κάστανο (kástano)
• → Arabic: كستناء (kastanāʔ) (see there for further descendants)
• → Classical Syriac: ܩܣܛܢܝܐ (qasṭāniyā) (via variant κᾰστᾰ́νειᾰ (kastáneia))
  • → Arabic: كستانية (kastāniya)
• → Latin: castanea (see there for further descendants)
• → Middle Armenian: կաստանայ (kastanay)
• → Ottoman Turkish: كستانه (kestane) (see there for further descendants)

Further reading

• “κάστανα”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• κάστανα in Bailly, Anatole (1935) Le Grand Bailly: Dictionnaire grec-français, Paris: Hachette

Greek

Noun

κάστανα • (kástana) n

1. Nominative, accusative and vocative plural form of κάστανο (kástano).