Re: Soap

<gpiotr@...> wrote:
<<I forgot to add that <sa:po:> 'soap' is not Celtic but Germanic
(*saip-o:n-). It's an interesting word, BTW, and well worth a longer
discussion.>>

I have here in some notes on soap: [Watkins 1985: 56] soap < Indo-European
*seib- "to pour out, sieve, drip, trickle" Germanic *saip? "dripping thing,
resin." I think Pokorny has sort of the same thing.

In Greek, we find the forms <sapo:n>, <sapho:nion> and <sa_po:n-ion> (and
<sa_pôn-arike: techne:>, the technique of making soap.)

What's curious is that in Greek, soap was interpreted in two ways:
- One is as a "dye". Pliny is cited in Lidell-Scott for "a Gallic invention
(hair-dye) adopted by the Germans..." (Note that is saying the idea is
Gallic, not necessarily the word.)
- The other is later and treats soap as something to clean or wipe away with
- "tôi Germanikôi smêgmati" - but not necessary in reference to cleaning the
body.

This double meaning of soap is also supported by Latin references to
"causticus" as "a kind of soap ["sapo"] with which the Germans colored their
hair, Mart. 14, 26, 1." (Lewis & Short). (The word is from the Greek
<kaustikos>, burning, caustic, corrosive.)

Another entry in Lewis & Short is to "spuma caustica, a pomade [sic] used by
the Teutones for dyeing the hair red,... called also spuma Batava,..." and as
"nitri" (the active ingredient in soap.)

Now, I have a theory about this, but right now I'm asking if anyone knows of
any other references to the "soap" word as a "dye" for hair or wool?

S. Long