Re: [tied] Fw: Sorok i devianosto

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, george knysh <gknysh@...> wrote:

> ****GK: Yes. That's what I meant. IF the Slavic
> variants of this borrowing all meant "shirt" then it's
> simpler to view the Byzantine "tessarokonta" as the
> source of the numeral "sorok" for the East Slavs.

Now I see your point. Sorry for having exercised your patience for so
long. :)

> I
> don't see how you go from "shirt" to "sack of 40
> martens" with no complications.*****
>

I've just checked the dictionary I mentioned. Zaliznyak gives the
only meaning 'a commodity-money unit (first equal to the bunch of 40
skins)', and the contexts seem to exclude the 'just a sack' meaning.

Sergei