# Murex populus



## sleerash

Hi, folks,

I need some advice about this Latin expression: _murex populus_, which intended meaning is “the people of the murex” (a sea snail, see Murex - Wikipedia). It is correct?

Thanks in advance.

Best regards.


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## bearded

Can you please provide a context and indicate the source in which you found the expression?
Those words could have something to do with ornamental plants, cf. Environmental Adaptations and Stress Tolerance of Plants in the Era of Climate Change (pedalium murex, populus euphratica..).


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## Agró

La primera idea que me surge es que haga referencia a los fenicios y al caracol del que extraían la púrpura, pero la formación del sintagma no me convence. Lo lógico es que "murex" estuviera en genitivo "muricis": _Muricis Populus_ (El pueblo del múrice).
En fin, a ver si alguien puede aportar algo más.


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## sleerash

Bearded:
It is a made-up expression. By the way, Agró is in the righ path: the expression tries to describe the Phoenicians and the snail from which the Tyrian purple was extracted (Tyrian purple - Wikipedia).

Thanks.


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## bearded

Thank you, sleerash, I didn't know.


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## A User

sleerash said:


> the expression tries to describe the Phoenicians...


Phoenicians and *Punics*, obviously. Dido, the founder and first queen of Carthage (in the 9th century BC), was native of Tyre in Phoenicia.
The greek translation from 5th century BC of the term _Canaanites_, φοίνικες /Phoinikes, is connected with φοῖνιξ = purple-red. The dyes may have been named after their place of origin (Phoenicia/ Φοινίκη / Phoiníkē) or vice versa (Phoenicia = Land of Purple).


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## bearded

Any ideas as to why _murex populus _and not _muricis populus_?
As a justification for my initial misunderstanding, may I remind that _populus _can mean 'poplar' besides 'people' (in the vegetable meaning it's feminine).


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## A User

bearded said:


> Any ideas as to why _murex populus _and not _muricis populus_?


Indizio: i verbi appellativi, come vocor, appellor, dicor («sono chiamato, detto»), ...reggono il doppio nominativo.


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## bearded

A User said:


> il doppio nominativo


I know, but in any case it wouldn't be ''a people called 'purple''', methinks. I would rather imagine ''people of the purple'', as Agró wrote... Some context (if there is one) would be of help, showing how the Latin sentence is structured. I know that 'Phoinix/Phoenix' means purple, but the name of a people should at least be in the plural (Phoinikes): then it should be ''populus qui dicitur _murices _(Phoenices)''. I find that _populus murex _is odd.


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## A User

Congettura: Populus Ifrael, il popolo che prende il nome da Giacobbe. E stiamo sempre in zona.


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