# etymology of decussata



## mojobadshah

I know decussata means X in Latin, but what is its etymology and cognates in Persian and other languages?


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## akhooha

It does not mean X. It means "shaped like an X".
"from Latin _decussatus_, past participle of _decussare_  'divide crosswise', from _decussis_ (describing the figure X, i.e., the Roman numeral for the number 10), from _decem_  'ten'." (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/decussate?q=decussate)
What makes you think it has cognates in Persian? (I suppose you could say that "ده" ("doh" = ten) would be cognate and other languages with Indo-European roots for "ten" I suppose could also be considered cognate...)


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## CapnPrep

akhooha said:


> "from Latin _decussatus_, past participle of _decussare_  'divide crosswise', from _decussis_ (describing the figure X, i.e., the Roman numeral for the number 10), from _decem_  'ten'."


Yes, and more completely, _decussis_ is from _decem_ + _as_, i.e. "10 units/parts". It seems highly unlikely to me that Persian would have a cognate compound.


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## ancalimon

Interesting. So what's the link between "number ten" and this X cross? Maybe there were 10 templar leaders?


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## Angelo di fuoco

The Romans used letters for numbers: I (1), V (5), X (10), L (50), C (100), D (500), M (1000). I, II, III are quite obvious, C (centum) & M (mille) are clear, too. I imagine 500 has the prefix demi- (half) in it. I'm not able to figure out the nexus between the first V, X & L and their respective numbers.
I think that the X cross is what comes closest to the ideal structure of the Roman city with cardo (North-South axe) and decumanus (West-East axe) as the principle streets, cutting the square city into four equal parts.
http://wordsmith.org/words/decuman.html


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## CapnPrep

Angelo di fuoco said:


> The Romans used letters for numbers: I (1), V (5), X (10), L (50), C (100), D (500), M (1000). I, II, III are quite obvious, C (centum) & M (mille) are clear, too. I imagine 500 has the prefix demi- (half) in it. I'm not able to figure out the nexus between the first V, X & L and their respective numbers.


See the Wikipedia article: Roman numerals. The assimilation of the numeral symbols with letters of the Latin alphabet was apparently a later development.


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## Barsac

V is the image of a hand with 5 fingers. X is a compound of two V, so there are ten fingers.


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## sotos

The cross is the symbol of 10 in chinese, too. It may imply two hands put together.


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## ancalimon

The cross shape is also related with number ten (ON) in ancient Turkic culture. Although it's very complicated to explain it.

http://www.turksayokan.com/ongan.htm

This equilateral cross was first used in Central Asia and through there it reached Armenia.


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## fdb

akhooha said:


> (I suppose you could say that "ده" ("doh" = ten) would be cognate



recte: dah < Old Persian daϑa < IE *dekm


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## akhooha

fdb said:


> recte: dah < Old Persian daϑa < IE *dekm


Thanks for the correction. I don't know Persian and was just going by what I'd remembered hearing years ago from Persian friends. I'd obviously misheard and was maybe subconsciously rhyming it with "noh"...


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## mojobadshah

I was curious if there was a Persian cognate or even synonym for the galactic cross of Zoroastrianism which I presume is the cross said to be found on west Iranian coins.  This mark is found on the consecrated Dron (cf. Dinner) bread used to drive away evil and I suppose death.  It made its way into Mithraism at the banquet scene, and into Christianity as the bread  and body for Jesus was the bread (Gk. artos ?Skr. arts Av. Asha) of life and heaven.


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## mojobadshah

The galactic cross is the globulus curciger.


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## akhooha

mojobadshah said:


> The galactic cross is the globulus curciger.


I think you mean *globus cruciger.*


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## mojobadshah

Yeah, sorry.


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## mojobadshah

The globulus crucifer developed out of the leontocephalion figure standing on the globe with cross.


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## akhooha

mojobadshah said:


> The globulus crucifer* developed out of the leontocephalion** figure standing on the globe with cross.



**globus cruciger
**Leontocephaline
*


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