قثاء

Arabic

قِثَّاء

Etymology

• Leonid Kogan and Jussi Aro list it as being Proto-Semitic (which already Zimmern suspected), cognate to Ge'ez ቍሳይ (ḳʷəsay), ቈስያ (ḳʷäsya, “cucumber”), Akkadian 𒄾 (qiššû, “cucumber”), Hebrew קשוא (qiššūʾ, “Armenian cucumber”), Classical Syriac ܩܰܛܽܘܬܳܐ (qaṭṭūtā, “cucumber”) (one explains the Syriac middle consonant as having developed */t/ → /ṭ/ because of /q/).
• It is a wanderwort found as Sumerian 𒄾 (ukuš₂, “cucumber”) Ancient Greek σικύα (sikúa, “bottle gourd”), Ancient Greek σίκυος (síkuos), σικυός (sikuós), σίκυς (síkus, “cucumber”), Latin cucumis (“cucumber”), Old Armenian սեխ (sex, “muskmelon”), and possibly Proto-Slavic *tyky (“pumpkin, gourd”). Doublet of كُوسَا (kūsā, “zucchini”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /qiθ.θaːʔ/, IPA^(key): /quθ.θaːʔ/

Noun

قِثَّاء or قُثَّاء • (qiṯṯāʔ or quṯṯāʔ) m (collective, singulative قِثَّاءَة f (qiṯṯāʔa) or قُثَّاءَة (quṯṯāʔa))

1. Cucumis in general
2. Armenian cucumber

Declension

Declension of noun قِثَّاء (qiṯṯāʔ)‎; قُثَّاء (quṯṯāʔ)

Collective	basic collective triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	قِثَّاء‎; قُثَّاء qiṯṯāʔ‎; quṯṯāʔ	الْقِثَّاء‎; الْقُثَّاء al-qiṯṯāʔ‎; al-quṯṯāʔ	قِثَّاء‎; قُثَّاء qiṯṯāʔ‎; quṯṯāʔ
Nominative	قِثَّاءٌ‎; قُثَّاءٌ qiṯṯāʔun‎; quṯṯāʔun	الْقِثَّاءُ‎; الْقُثَّاءُ al-qiṯṯāʔu‎; al-quṯṯāʔu	قِثَّاءُ‎; قُثَّاءُ qiṯṯāʔu‎; quṯṯāʔu
Accusative	قِثَّاءً‎; قُثَّاءً qiṯṯāʔan‎; quṯṯāʔan	الْقِثَّاءَ‎; الْقُثَّاءَ al-qiṯṯāʔa‎; al-quṯṯāʔa	قِثَّاءَ‎; قُثَّاءَ qiṯṯāʔa‎; quṯṯāʔa
Genitive	قِثَّاءٍ‎; قُثَّاءٍ qiṯṯāʔin‎; quṯṯāʔin	الْقِثَّاءِ‎; الْقُثَّاءِ al-qiṯṯāʔi‎; al-quṯṯāʔi	قِثَّاءِ‎; قُثَّاءِ qiṯṯāʔi‎; quṯṯāʔi
Singulative	singulative triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	قِثَّاءَة‎; قُثَّاءَة qiṯṯāʔa‎; quṯṯāʔa	الْقِثَّاءَة‎; الْقُثَّاءَة al-qiṯṯāʔa‎; al-quṯṯāʔa	قِثَّاءَة‎; قُثَّاءَة qiṯṯāʔat‎; quṯṯāʔat
Nominative	قِثَّاءَةٌ‎; قُثَّاءَةٌ qiṯṯāʔatun‎; quṯṯāʔatun	الْقِثَّاءَةُ‎; الْقُثَّاءَةُ al-qiṯṯāʔatu‎; al-quṯṯāʔatu	قِثَّاءَةُ‎; قُثَّاءَةُ qiṯṯāʔatu‎; quṯṯāʔatu
Accusative	قِثَّاءَةً‎; قُثَّاءَةً qiṯṯāʔatan‎; quṯṯāʔatan	الْقِثَّاءَةَ‎; الْقُثَّاءَةَ al-qiṯṯāʔata‎; al-quṯṯāʔata	قِثَّاءَةَ‎; قُثَّاءَةَ qiṯṯāʔata‎; quṯṯāʔata
Genitive	قِثَّاءَةٍ‎; قُثَّاءَةٍ qiṯṯāʔatin‎; quṯṯāʔatin	الْقِثَّاءَةِ‎; الْقُثَّاءَةِ al-qiṯṯāʔati‎; al-quṯṯāʔati	قِثَّاءَةِ‎; قُثَّاءَةِ qiṯṯāʔati‎; quṯṯāʔati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	قِثَّاءَتَيْن‎; قُثَّاءَتَيْن qiṯṯāʔatayn‎; quṯṯāʔatayn	الْقِثَّاءَتَيْن‎; الْقُثَّاءَتَيْن al-qiṯṯāʔatayn‎; al-quṯṯāʔatayn	قِثَّاءَتَيْ‎; قُثَّاءَتَيْ qiṯṯāʔatay‎; quṯṯāʔatay
Nominative	قِثَّاءَتَانِ‎; قُثَّاءَتَانِ qiṯṯāʔatāni‎; quṯṯāʔatāni	الْقِثَّاءَتَانِ‎; الْقُثَّاءَتَانِ al-qiṯṯāʔatāni‎; al-quṯṯāʔatāni	قِثَّاءَتَا‎; قُثَّاءَتَا qiṯṯāʔatā‎; quṯṯāʔatā
Accusative	قِثَّاءَتَيْنِ‎; قُثَّاءَتَيْنِ qiṯṯāʔatayni‎; quṯṯāʔatayni	الْقِثَّاءَتَيْنِ‎; الْقُثَّاءَتَيْنِ al-qiṯṯāʔatayni‎; al-quṯṯāʔatayni	قِثَّاءَتَيْ‎; قُثَّاءَتَيْ qiṯṯāʔatay‎; quṯṯāʔatay
Genitive	قِثَّاءَتَيْنِ‎; قُثَّاءَتَيْنِ qiṯṯāʔatayni‎; quṯṯāʔatayni	الْقِثَّاءَتَيْنِ‎; الْقُثَّاءَتَيْنِ al-qiṯṯāʔatayni‎; al-quṯṯāʔatayni	قِثَّاءَتَيْ‎; قُثَّاءَتَيْ qiṯṯāʔatay‎; quṯṯāʔatay
Paucal (3-10)	sound feminine paucal
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	قِثَّاءَات‎; قُثَّاءَات qiṯṯāʔāt‎; quṯṯāʔāt	الْقِثَّاءَات‎; الْقُثَّاءَات al-qiṯṯāʔāt‎; al-quṯṯāʔāt	قِثَّاءَات‎; قُثَّاءَات qiṯṯāʔāt‎; quṯṯāʔāt
Nominative	قِثَّاءَاتٌ‎; قُثَّاءَاتٌ qiṯṯāʔātun‎; quṯṯāʔātun	الْقِثَّاءَاتُ‎; الْقُثَّاءَاتُ al-qiṯṯāʔātu‎; al-quṯṯāʔātu	قِثَّاءَاتُ‎; قُثَّاءَاتُ qiṯṯāʔātu‎; quṯṯāʔātu
Accusative	قِثَّاءَاتٍ‎; قُثَّاءَاتٍ qiṯṯāʔātin‎; quṯṯāʔātin	الْقِثَّاءَاتِ‎; الْقُثَّاءَاتِ al-qiṯṯāʔāti‎; al-quṯṯāʔāti	قِثَّاءَاتِ‎; قُثَّاءَاتِ qiṯṯāʔāti‎; quṯṯāʔāti
Genitive	قِثَّاءَاتٍ‎; قُثَّاءَاتٍ qiṯṯāʔātin‎; quṯṯāʔātin	الْقِثَّاءَاتِ‎; الْقُثَّاءَاتِ al-qiṯṯāʔāti‎; al-quṯṯāʔāti	قِثَّاءَاتِ‎; قُثَّاءَاتِ qiṯṯāʔāti‎; quṯṯāʔāti

Descendants

• Egyptian Arabic: قتا (ʾatta, “a long variety of cucumber”)
• → Amharic: ቋሳ (ḳʷasa, “cucumber”)
• → Ge'ez: ቀታ (ḳäta, “cucumber”)

References

• Kogan, Leonid (2011) “Proto-Semitic Lexicon”, in Weninger, Stefan, editor, The Semitic Languages. An International Handbook (Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft – Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science; 36), Berlin: De Gruyter, →ISBN, page 203
• Lane, Edward William (1863) “قثاء”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[1], London: Williams & Norgate
• Löw, Immanuel (1928) Die Flora der Juden‎^[2] (in German), volume 1, Wien und Leipzig: R. Löwit, pages 530–535
• Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985) “قثاء”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart‎^[3] (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 1002
• Zimmern, Heinrich (1915) Akkadische Fremdwörter als Beweis für babylonischen Kultureinfluss (in German), Leipzig: A. Edelmann, page 58