Re: Pita [was *(H-)p/bh[-r/l-] again again]

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Daniel Baum" <daniel@...> wrote:

>
>
> >But perhaps this 'pita' thing is related to Jewish 'fita' and

their

> >wheat festival 'shavout' or Pentecost (there is again 'seven'

root in

> >this word).
> >Perhaps 'fita/pita' are related to Arabic 'fitr' (Islamic Lent)

and

> >also to so many roots involving 'stone', 'seed', 'wheat', 'flour',
> >seven. And yes of course 'bread'.
>
> I'm afraid you've lost me completely there. What's Jewish "fita",

and what

> does seven have to do with anything? There is no "seven" in

Pentecost, which

Oops sorry, I was talking of the word 'Shavuot' (with the root
seven) not of Pentecost.

is Greek for fifty. "fitr" as in 'Id al-fitr', means "to break a
fast" from

> a root meaning "to split, break". See
> http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/S230.html.
>
> Although the word "pita" is used in Hebrew, I am certain it didn't

originate

> there. I was under the impression that the word originated in

Greek, but I

> can't check this till I go to the university on Tuesday.
>
>
> Daniel

Yes please check, I too do believe that it could be Greek and from
there that 'bread' word spread to somewhere else. What I was saying
was that there is no real Arabic 'pita' perhaps Hebraic 'pita'
or 'fita' (if there is such one in Hebrew). But perhaps (I was
saying also) the Greek word was also derived from other Greek words
(as I have said stone, seed, wheat, flour, bread?). Same thing
happened with Arabs and Jews (there were already word rootings and
festivities such as these) and therefore it could be easy to
accept 'pita'. Part of Near Eastern exchanges?

Loreto