The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville - Pot-pourri

Straw mat (storia), because it isspread(strata) onthe
ground. 2. Acot(cama) islow and close to the ground,
for the Greeks say (lit. “on the ground”) for ‘low.’
Acouch(cubile)isaplace for lying down (cubare). ‘Pallet’
(grabatum) isaGreek term. A camp-bed (baianula)
isabed that is hauled (baiulare) onatrip,from
‘hauling,’ that is, carrying. 3. A‘cushioned couch’ (pulvinar)
isacouch for the wealthy; hence also ‘pillow’
(pulvillus). Spinga (i.e. sphinga)beds are those on which
there are images of sphinxes, which we call griffins. Punic
(Punicanus)bedsaresmall,lowbedsfirstimportedfrom
Carthage, and hence named. 4. Lectica is the name for
a‘bedwithaback’(pluteus lectus). Concerning these,
Rutilius Rufus says in On His Own Life (13): “First, contrary
to the custom of generals, he would use couches
with backs (lectica) inpreference to couches without
backs (lectus).” 5. Theframe (sponda) isthe outer part
of a bed, the backboard (pluteus) the inner.
Bridal (genialis) beds properly speaking are those
spread for young brides, so called from begetting (generare)
children. 6. Acradle (cunabula) isalittle bed in
which infants usually lie, so called because they are used
for a new-born, asifitwerecynabula –for means
“to give birth” in Greek. 7. Abier(feretrum) issocalled
because the dead are ‘carried off’ (deferre) onit,and
it is a Greek word, for is taken from ,
that is, from carrying (ferre). In Latin a coffin (capulus)
is so called because it is carried above people’s heads
(caput). Thus Plautus says (The Braggart Soldier 628):
“Coffin-bound (capularis) old man,” that is, nearly in
his coffin. 8. Stools(scamnum) aresetagainst very high
beds, and are so called from ‘climbing’ (scandere), [that
is, mounting (ascendere)]. Hence also ‘footstools’ (scabillum),
which are set by small beds or chairs for mounting.
The footstool is also called a subpedaneum, for what
the Greeks call Latin speakers call scabillum,
and others [call] suppedaneum, because it is ‘under the
feet’ (sub pedes). A scansilium is a step (e.g. a bench in
an amphitheater) where a distinguished person takes
his seat. 9.Seats (sedes)are so called because among the
ancient Romans there was not the practice of reclining at
table, and hence they were said to ‘sit down’ (considere).
Afterwards, as Varro says in On the Life oftheRoman
People,men began to recline and women to sit, because
reclining was seen as unseemly for a woman.
The word ‘seat’ (sedis,i.e. sedes)inthe singular number
properly belongs to kingship, and in Greek is called
The Etymologies XX.xi.2–xii.5 403
. TheGreeks say thronus, andwesay solium. But
for other people, there are ‘benches’ (subsellium); for
scholars, ‘chairs’ (cathedra). 10.Thethrone (solium), on
which kings sit for the safety of their bodies, is so called,
according to some, for its ‘solidity’ (soliditas), as if it were
solidum;according to others the word is formed by antistichon
(i.e. by antistoechum,“substitution of letters”) as
if the word were sodium, from ‘sitting’ (sedere). Hence
likewise sella (i.e. another word for ‘seat’) is so called as
if it were sedda, andbenches (subsellium) asiftheword
were subseddium. 11. The ‘curule chair’ (sella curulis) is
where magistrates would sit (sedere) torenderjustice.
They are called ‘curule’ because, among the ancients,
praetors and consuls would be carried to the forum by
achariot(currus) due to the length of the journey. The
chairs that were carried after them, from which while
sitting they would render justice, were named ‘curule’
chairs from ‘chariot.’ 12.Tripods (tripus)arestools having
‘three feet’ (tres + pes; - + ). But lampstands
are also tripods because they likewise have three feet.
xii. Vehicles (De vehiculis) 1. Awagon(carrum) isso
called from the axle (cardo) ofitswheels,andhence
‘chariot’ (currus)isnamed, for it is seen to have wheels.
Awheel(rota)issocalled because it rushes (ruere), and
‘round’ (rotundus) isnamed from rota. 2. Areda is a
kind of vehicle with four wheels. The ancients called
these retae,because they had wheels (rota). 3.Acarpentum
pompaticum (i.e. a processional carriage) is a type
of vehicle, as if it were a carrum pompaticum. Acart
(plaustrum) isatwo-wheeled vehicle that carries burdens,
and is called plaustrum because it rolls, as if one
said pilastrum (cf. pila,“ball.”). A caracutium is a vehicle
with very high wheels, as if it were a ‘high wagon’ (carrum
acutum). A capsus is a carriage enclosed on all sides,
as if it were abox(capsa). 4. Apilentum or petorritum
is an enclosed carriage with four wheels that matrons
formerly used. Vergil (Aen. 8.666):
Mothers in soft carriages (pilentum).
Horace (Satires 1.6.104):
Many grooms and nags to be grazed, and carriages
(petorritum) tobedrawn.
Formerly the pilentum was of a blue color and not, as
it now is, red. Unless they were chaste, matrons could
not use these; nor, likewise, could they wear fillets. 5. A