# Ottoman: anchor



## WadiH

What was the Ottoman Turkish word for "anchor"?  Thanks.


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## Spectre scolaire

The Turkish word for ‘anchor’ is a loan from Italian _ceppo_, a word which does not mean the whole anchor, but only a part of it – like French _cep_ can mean a part of a ‘plough’, not the whole thing. This _pars pro toto_ procedure is not uncommon in loanwords. In the case of seaman terminology the Ottomans took whatever they heard from Greek and Italian, mostly from the latter. Italian was in fact the official command language of the Ottoman marine.

The late American professor (of Levantine origin) Henry Kahane (and his wife) made a whole lifetime study of “Turkish Nautical Terms of Italian and Greek Origin” and called the book they wrote (together with the Orientalist Andreas Tietze) “The Lingua Franca in the Levant” (1958 with later reprints). The Italian word _ceppo_ (with its Ottoman forms) is definitely registered there – I don’t have the book next to me for the time being. 

How to write it in Ottoman Turkish? Well, چيپو, I suppose. 

In Modern Turkish it is written *çipo*, but I have also heard *çipa* – you’ll have to look it up in Kahane-Tietze. Or somebody else could perhaps support me here?

Another word for ‘anchor’ is *demir*, “iron” – here, we have the _material_ instead of the _object_ itself. This word is of Turkish origin.
 ​


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## WadiH

Spectre scolaire said:


> The Turkish word for ‘anchor’ is a loan from Italian _ceppo_, a word which does not mean the whole anchor, but only a part of it – like French _cep_ can mean a part of a ‘plough’, not the whole thing. This _pars pro toto_ procedure is not uncommon in loanwords. In the case of seaman terminology the Ottomans took whatever they heard from Greek and Italian, mostly from the latter. Italian was in fact the official command language of the Ottoman marine.
> 
> The late American professor (of Levantine origin) Henry Kahane (and his wife) made a whole lifetime study of “Turkish Nautical Terms of Italian and Greek Origin” and called the book they wrote (together with the Orientalist Andreas Tietze) “The Lingua Franca in the Levant” (1958 with later reprints). The Italian word _ceppo_ (with its Ottoman forms) is definitely registered there – I don’t have the book next to me for the time being.
> 
> How to write it in Ottoman Turkish? Well, چيپو, I suppose.
> 
> In Modern Turkish it is written *çipo*, but I have also heard *çipa* – you’ll have to look it up in Kahane-Tietze. Or somebody else could perhaps support me here?
> 
> Another word for ‘anchor’ is *demir*, “iron” – here, we have the _material_ instead of the _object_ itself. This word is of Turkish origin.
> 
> ​


 
So, nothing cognate with the English "anchor" then?


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## ameana7

Spectre scolaire said:


> In Modern Turkish it is written *çipo*, but I have also heard *çipa* – you’ll have to look it up in Kahane-Tietze. Or somebody else could perhaps support me here?
> 
> Another word for ‘anchor’ is *demir*, “iron” – here, we have the _material_ instead of the _object_ itself. This word is of Turkish origin.
> ​



It is actually çıpa, not çipa. Sometimes çapa can be used instead of çıpa but it isn't correct. I have never heard çipo but, TDK says it is real.


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## Spectre scolaire

English anchor is originally from Latin anchora, an adaptation of Greek άγκυρα [anküra] (see below). This is supposed to be the origin of the Turkish capital Ankara. As for the ‘Angora cat’ and, primarily, the ‘Angora _goat_’, it has the same etymology. But an ‘Angora goat’ is _tiftik ke__çisi_ in today’s Turkish – _tiftik_ being a Persian word.

The development [ü] > _ >  all happened in Greek, the first vowel change being quite early, the second only occurring in certain words.__

άγκ*υ*ρα is in fact a neologism in Modern Greek whereas άγκ*ου*ρα ( instead of ) is a more “grassroot form” (but less used).

Where are you heading with your question, Wadi Hanifa?
 ​_


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## WadiH

Spectre scolaire said:


> English anchor is originally from Latin anchora, an adaptation of Greek άγκυρα [anküra] (see below). This is supposed to be the origin of the Turkish capital Ankara. As for the ‘Angora cat’ and, primarily, the ‘Angora _goat_’, it has the same etymology. But an ‘Angora goat’ is _tiftik ke__çisi_ in today’s Turkish – _tiftik_ being a Persian word.
> 
> The development [ü] > _ >  all happened in Greek, the first vowel change being quite early, the second only occurring in certain words.__
> 
> άγκ*υ*ρα is in fact a neologism in Modern Greek whereas άγκ*ου*ρα ( instead of ) is a more “grassroot form” (but less used).
> 
> Where are you heading with your question, Wadi Hanifa?
> 
> ​_


_

Thank you both.

I found the word أنجر (anjar) with the meaning of "anchor" in an 18th century vernacular poem from central Arabia.  I know it didn't come from English, of course, so I thought it might have come from Turkish.  However, I learned from another thread that "anjar" already appears in Arabic dictionaries at an earlier date and seems to have come from the Persian أنكر._


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## Spectre scolaire

Wadi Hanifa said:


> I found the word أنجر (anjar) with the meaning of "anchor" in an 18th century vernacular poem from central Arabia. I know it didn't come from English, of course, so I thought it might have come from Turkish. However, I learned from another thread that "anjar" already appears in Arabic dictionaries at an earlier date and seems to have come from the Persian أنكر.


 Could you elaborate on that Persian[?!] link?
 ​*PS*: I have a hunch that we’re still moving inside [Ottoman]_Turkish_ in this thread.


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## WadiH

See the discussion here; particularly post 7.


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## Spectre scolaire

Thanks for the link!

There is something “fishy” about the “Persian” word we are dealing with. I don’t think the word is Persian – at least not Persian-Persian. I feel like going back to what I said initially (#2) about Italian ceppo. Originally, it means ‘the lower trunk of a tree’. Part of an anchor, like the _shank_, can be made of wood. This wooden part, as a _pars pro toto_, is then the anchor itself. 

Now, if we look at the Arabic root in question, I see something wooden. In order to keep this thread inside Turkish, I’ll just remind Turkish foreros about the word neccar, “a carpenter” – not really in use nowadays, but still, it is an _Ottoman_ Turkish word. It contains the same triliteral root in guise of a CVC:V:C – the sign *:* being used here to denote a long consonant/vowel.

Is it possible that Arabic or Persian could have made up this word for ‘anchor’ in the same way as _ceppo_ – _in casu_ using an Arabic root? In that case it would constitute an interesting _calque_.
 ​


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## WadiH

Spectre scolaire said:


> Thanks for the link!
> 
> There is something “fishy” about the “Persian” word we are dealing with. I don’t think the word is Persian – at least not Persian-Persian. I feel like going back to what I said initially (#2) about Italian ceppo. Originally, it means ‘the lower trunk of a tree’. Part of an anchor, like the _shank_, can be made of wood. This wooden part, as a _pars pro toto_, is then the anchor itself.
> 
> Now, if we look at the Arabic root in question, I see something wooden. In order to keep this thread inside Turkish, I’ll just remind Turkish foreros about the word neccar, “a carpenter” – not really in use nowadays, but still, it is an _Ottoman_ Turkish word. It contains the same triliteral root in guise of a CVC:V:C – the sign *:* being used here to denote a long consonant/vowel.
> 
> Is it possible that Arabic or Persian could have made up this word for ‘anchor’ in the same way as _ceppo_ – _in casu_ using an Arabic root? In that case it would constitute an interesting _calque_.
> 
> ​


 
Well "neccar" is just the Arabic "najjar".  One of the dictionary references in that link (Lisan al-Arab), dates from pre-Ottoman times (the author died in the early 1200's).


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## Joannes

It's a pity your Persian thread didn't get any answers yet, but it doesn't occur to me as unlikely that they borrowed it from Greek. I'm afraid the only Persian dictionary I have access to (Steingass) - which gives etymologies for some words - wasn't able to help me at all.


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## Spectre scolaire

Wadi Hanifa said:
			
		

> Well "neccar" is just the Arabic "najjar". One of the dictionary references in that link (Lisan al-Arab), dates from pre-Ottoman times (the author died in the early 1200's).


 The thread is called “Ottoman Turkish: anchor”. I am sorry, I may have used the wrong parenthesis in #9. What I wanted to underline was Turkish (which incidentally was put in italics!), and then _exclude_ Ottoman, thinking that it could well have been an ethnically Turkic author producing the first passage containing our word.

Many Seljuk Turks wrote in Persian. Indeed, the Turks adopted Persian culture, and an interesting trait linked to Arabic loanwords in Turkish is that most of them actually entered Turkish _via Persian_ – not directly from Arabic. So, one should not put a limit to Turkish influence at the Ottomans!

Arabic language in a Turkic context is almost exclusively religious (due to the prestige of the Koran). But this influence was static. By contrast, the Persian influence was literary and cultural in general, and it was a highly flexible influence. At the eve of the conquest of Anatolia it had transformed the nomadic Turks into a highly civilized people. Arabic language only followed them because they also converted to Islam in Persia.

My contribution #11 is one theory as to the origin of our word. I was hoping that _Wadi Hanifa_ would comment on it.

A second theory is alluded to by _Joannes_ in #13. There are many Greek loanwords in Persian – obviously not from _Modern_ Greek, but from earlier periods. _They have never been properly studied._ 

As for _Steingass_, it is probably better _for our purpose_ than many other Persian dictionaries, like the Russian one in two volumes. The latter is excellent for the _modern_ language. Steingass is, on the other hand, a bit extravagant – if one may say. It contains a lot a ‘ghost words’. It is interesting that it does not register our word. 

Probably one would have to consult _Dehkhoda_, the multi-volume Persian-Persian dictionary.
 ​


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## Alijsh

Spectre scolaire said:


> Probably one would have to consult _Dehkhoda_, the multi-volume Persian-Persian dictionary.


Thanks for refering me to this thread. I have good news. Dehkhodâ dictionary is available online. Here is the entry for lanagr and I quote here the related part:


> کلمه لنگر اصل کلمه انجر عرب است و با آنکراي لاتين از يک اصل باشد


The word langar is the origin of Arabic word anjar and is cognate with Latin ¿ankra? (It's not possible to write the Latin word correctly because it's written in Persian script)

The Goodness of Dehkhodâ is that it mentions various poems from different times, which have used a word. As you see langar is even found in Shâhnâme (ca. 1000 years ago)


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## WadiH

Alijsh said:


> Thanks for refering me to this thread. I have good news. Dehkhodâ dictionary is available online. Here is the entry for lanagr and I quote here the related part:
> The word langar is the origin of Arabic word anjar and is cognate with Latin ¿ankra? (It's not possible to write the Latin word correctly because it's written in Persian script)
> 
> The Goodness of Dehkhodâ is that it mentions various poems from different times, which have used a word. As you see langar is even found in Shâhnâme (ca. 1000 years ago)


 
That confirms my own suspicion and that of Joannes that the Persians probably borrowed it from the Greeks a very long time ago. I suppose it could have been the other way around, but the Greeks were a seafaring people back then, unlike the Persians. 

Scolaire's theory is interesting, but the info supplied by Aljish would seem to argue against it, as the _Shahnameh_ is said to be a very conservative work with respect to Arabic borrowings. Also, if the Arabs and Persians came up with this word from the Arabic root for "wood" (n-j-r), then the Arabic lexicons of the time would have realized that. Instead, however, they plainly state that it is an Arabized form of a Persian word.


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## Joannes

Wadi Hanifa said:


> I suppose it could have been the other way around, but the Greeks were a seafaring people back then, unlike the Persians.


Exactly my thought. 

(Oh, and the Latin was *ancora*, Aljish. )



Wadi Hanifa said:


> Solitaire's theory is interesting, but the info supplied by Aljish would seem to argue against it, as the _Shahnameh_ is said to be a very conservative work with respect to Arabic borrowings. Also, if the Arabs and Persians came up with this word from the Arabic root for "wood" (n-j-r), then the Arabic lexicons of the time would have realized that. Instead, however, they plainly state that it is an Arabized form of a Persian word.


All that, and _en plus_ the PIE root **ank-* that we should have brought up again for Spectre scolaire, I mean Solitaire.


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## WadiH

Joannes said:


> Exactly my thought.
> 
> (Oh, and the Latin was *ancora*, Aljish. )
> 
> 
> All that, and _en plus_ the PIE root **ank-* that we should have brought up again for Spectre scolaire, I mean Solitaire.


 
Oops.  Sorry.


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## Alijsh

Wadi Hanifa said:


> That confirms my own suspicion and that of Joannes that the Persians probably borrowed it from the Greeks a very long time ago. I suppose it could have been the other way around, but the Greeks were a seafaring people back then, unlike the Persians.


 It seems that this thread should be moved to Etymology room  I can't say anything about whether it's a borrowing or a cognate. Persian has generally borrowed words with no or a minor change and I don't know how we can justify the *l* of *langar*. Anyway, I can't say anything and I'll try to find something about it. - Good luck

EDIT - Shannenms talked about *lam* (*lamidan* -> to loll, to sit in a relaxed way) and I came to the idea (Just an assumption. I can't back it up.) that *langar* has been first *lam-gar*. *lam* is present stem of lamidan which has been suffixed with -gar. This suffix acts like English -er in player.


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## Spectre scolaire

Contrary to certain exuberant claims, I don’t think we have solved this riddle yet. 

As far as I can see, there are still two questions lingering. _Alijsh_ is bringing forth both of them. 

*1*) 


			
				Alijsh said:
			
		

> I can't say anything about whether it's a borrowing or a cognate. Persian has generally borrowed words with no or a minor change and I don't know how we can justify the *l* of *langar*.


 Indeed, that is intriguing! -as if we were dealing with a Romance word with an attached definite article.

As for Arabic, it has always been felt as important to adapt a loanword to the morphological structure of the language – even to already existing roots!

*2*)



			
				Alijsh said:
			
		

> [Dehkhodâ] mentions various poems from different times, which have used [the] word. As you see, *langar* is even found in Shâhnâme (ca. 1000 years ago).


 Originally, Shâhnâme was of course written in Persian, but I thought it only survived in Arabic translations.  

Do we know for sure whether our word came from Greek or from Latin? –or through the intermediary of some other language? And do we know whether it first enriched the Persian or the Arabic vocabulary?

_Code copying_ constitutes an intricate subject matter where cultural history is as important as a sequence of phonemes. Resorting to Proto-Indo-European roots is an interesting exercise, but in most cases it is ‘caviar to the general’.

I wonder if _Encyclopædia Iranica_ could possibly bring us a step further.
 ​


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## Joannes

Hmm, I haven't been reading very closely, I'm afraid. The initial lam _is_ weird of course. (Certainly as it isn't in the Arabic form, which is supposed to come from Persian. )

But what's the deal with the Persian أنكر then, which Wadi Hanifa mentioned in post 6? (And I'm very relieved it wasn't a lam I took for an alif there. )


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