καντάρι
Greek edit
Etymology edit
From Byzantine Greek καντάρι (kantári), a reborrowing (possibly through Ottoman Turkish قنطار (kantar)) from Arabic قِنْطَار (qinṭār, “kantar (weight unit)”), from Byzantine Greek κεντηνάριον (kentēnárion), from Latin centēnārium (“hundredweight”), ultimately from Latin centum (“hundred”). See Arabic قِنْطَار (qinṭār) for numerous cognates with the exact same meaning passed via Arabic and Ottoman Turkish throughout the Mediterranean region.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
καντάρι • (kantári) n (plural καντάρια)
- (obsolete) kantar, quintal (weight unit equal to 44 okas (οκάδες), in Greece equal to 56.4 kilograms)
- τα εκατό καντάρια το ασήμι ― ta ekató kantária to asími ― the hundred kantars of silver
- 1801, Karl Weigel, Λεξικόν Γερμανικόν-Απλορωμαϊκόν:
- εις την φαμπρίκαν αναλούν κάθε χρόνον από εκατόν καντάρια κάρβουνα
- eis tin fampríkan analoún káthe chrónon apó ekatón kantária kárvouna
- in the factory they consume anually a hundred kantars of coal
- (figuratively) a moderately large amount
- λίγη δράση και πέντε καντάρια έρωτα ― lígi drási kai pénte kantária érota ― some action and a moderately large amount of passion
- (kitchenware) scales, balance, especially a vertical spring balance
Declension edit
declension of καντάρι
Coordinate terms edit
as an obsolete weight unit (44 okas, 56.4 kg):
- δράμι n (drámi, “dram (1⁄400 oka, 3.2 g”)
- οκά f (oká, “oka (400 drams, 1.28 kg)”)
- τσεκί n (tsekí, “cheki (4 kantars, 225.3 kg)”) (rare)
Derived terms edit
- ένα καντάρι σίδερο, πόσα βελόνια βγάζει; (éna kantári sídero, pósa velónia vgázei?, “an ironic question directed to a know-all”) (literally: "how many needles does a kantar of iron make?")
- με έφαγε στο καντάρι (me éfage sto kantári, “I was cheated in a commercial transaction”) (literally: "I was eaten on the weighing scale")
- με το καντάρι (me to kantári, “to a very large degree, excessively”) (literally: "by the kantar")
- ρίχνει καντάρια (ríchnei kantária, “it's raining cats and dogs”) (literally: "it's pouring kantars [of rain]")
Descendants edit
- ⇒ Greek: κανταράκι (kantaráki) (diminutive, refers exclusively to a small weighing scale)
- → Albanian: kandar
- → Aromanian: cãntare, cîntare, cîndare
References edit
- καντάρι - Λεξικό της κοινής νεοελληνικής [Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek], 1998, by the "Triantafyllidis" Foundation.