Re: alamã

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Abdullah Konushevci" wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "m_iacomi" <m_iacomi@...> wrote:
> [...]
>> Romanian word could be a late loanword or a compound "ad+lamina"
>> with slightly irregular reduction of the ending. Latin word meant
>> also `golden coin`, `gold` -- through color and metallic shape,
>> that could describe also brass. [...]
>
> I think, concerning the Rom. <alama>, that we have to deal probably
> with some kind of contamination by Turkish <elmaz>, derived from
> Arabic <almas> 'diamond; precious thing, gold' (cf. Greek asamas),
> which in Balkan languages gets the meaning "gold, gold coin,
> diamond".

Hardly with Turkish word since it sounds differently (stress
on last syllable, while Romanian word is paroxytone). Also the
meaning would not be of great help since Romanian word is very
specifical: a late contamination with a word meaning `gold` would
not make a word initially meaning also `gold` to suddenly mean
`brass`, but it would rather enforce its' initial sense. I think
this is a false track.

Regards,
Marius Iacomi