Τζίνιστα
Ancient Greek edit
Alternative forms edit
- Τζίνιτζα (Tzínitza) — rare
Etymology edit
Uncertain, but probably from Sanskrit चीन (Cīna, “China”), possibly via Arabic صِين (Ṣīn, “China; the Chinese”) and usually held to derive from Old Chinese 秦 (*zin, “Qin”). See "Names of China" at Wikipedia.
Pronunciation edit
- (10th CE Byzantine) IPA(key): /ˈtzi.nis.ta/
- (15th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA(key): /ˈtzi.nis.ta/
Proper noun edit
Τζίνιστα • (Tzínista)
- (culture) a land and people of East Asia usually identified as the southern Chinese
- 6th century, Cosmas Indicopleustes, Christian Topography, II, 45:
- Αὕτη δὲ ἡ χώρα τοῦ μεταξίου ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ ἐσωτέρᾳ πάντων Ἰνδίᾳ, κατὰ τὸ ἀριστερὸν μέρος εἰσιόντων τοῦ Ἰνδικοῦ πελάγους, περαιτέρω πολὺ τοῦ Περσικοῦ κόλπου καὶ τῆς νήσου τῆς καλουμένης παρὰ μὲν Ἰνδοῖς, Σελεδίβα, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Ἕλλησι, Ταπροβάνη, Τζίνιστα οὕτω καλουμένη, κυκλουμένη πάλιν ἐξ ἀριστερῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ Βαρβαρία κυκλοῦται ἐκ δεξιῶν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ... Περαιτέρω δὲ τῆς Τζίνιστα οὔτε πλέεται οὔτε οἰκεῖται.
- Now this country of silk is situated in the remotest of all the Indies, and lies to the left of those who enter the Indian sea, far beyond the Persian Gulf, and the island called by the Indians Selediba and by the Greeks Taprobanê. It is called Tzinista, and is surrounded on the left by the ocean, just as Barbaria is surrounded by it on the right... Beyond Tzinista there is neither navigation nor any land to inhabit.
- 6th century, Cosmas Indicopleustes, Christian Topography, II, 45:
Synonyms edit
See also edit
- (modern China): Κίνα (Kína)