zizanium

Latin

zizānia (cockle, tares)

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ζιζάνιον (zizánion), ultimately from Sumerian 𒍣𒍝𒀭 (zizān, “wheat”).

Alternative forms

• zizannium, zizania, zizannia

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /zizˈzaː.ni.um/, [d̪͡z̪ɪz̪ˈd̪͡z̪äːniʊ̃ˑ] or IPA^(key): /zizˈza.ni.um/, [d̪͡z̪ɪz̪ˈd̪͡z̪äniʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /d͡zidˈd͡za.ni.um/, [d̪͡z̪id̪ˈd̪͡z̪äːnium]
• Note: the /a/ is apparently long in Sumerian, as known in Classical Syriac ܙܝܙܢܐ (zīzānā) and Arabic زِوَان (ziwān), while it is short in Greek and the Latin scanning varies. The length of the /i/ before the underlyingly-geminate /z/ is unknown.

Noun

zizā̆nium n (genitive zizā̆niī or zizā̆nī); second declension

1. (Late Latin, often plural) cockle, tares, darnel (a weed, probably Lolium temulentum)
2. (Ecclesiastical Latin, figurative) used metaphorically of vices such as jealousy, discord etc.
   • (Can we find and add a quotation of Ambrose to this entry?)
   • c. 390 CE – c. 455 CE, Prosper Aquitanus, Carmen de ingratis 929, (hexameter):

     Spīnīs fulta subit seges horrida zizǎniōrum.

     Perishes the prickly crop of tares that grow from thorns.

   • 348 CE – c. 413 CE, Prudentius, The Divinity of Christ 56, (iambic):

     Refert sed ipsa nōsse, quae messem necant / zizāniōrum sēmina.

     Yet it's important for us to know the very seeds of the tares that kill the crop.

   • 5th century — Vulgate Bible, Matthaeus 13:26

     cum autem crevisset herba et fructum fecisset tunc apparuerunt et zizania.

     But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then also appeared the tares.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	zizā̆nium	zizā̆nia
Genitive	zizā̆niī zizā̆nī1	zizā̆niōrum
Dative	zizā̆niō	zizā̆niīs
Accusative	zizā̆nium	zizā̆nia
Ablative	zizā̆niō	zizā̆niīs
Vocative	zizā̆nium	zizā̆nia

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Descendants

• → Catalan: zitzània
• → English: zizania
• → Italian: zizzania
• Spanish: cizaña
• Translingual:

Further reading

• zizanium in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)