Oleaster, ut dicit Ysidorus, arbor est sic dicta, eo quod sit foliis olee simillimus, sed latioribus. Arbor est inculta atque silvestris, amara atque infructuosa. Cuius ramus olee insertus vim mutat radicis et vertit eam in propriam qualitatem.
- Translation
- Vocabulary
- Notes
About the wild olive tree. The wild olive tree, as Isidorus says, has been named wild olive tree thus, because it is the most similar to the leaves of the (domesticated) olive tree, but wider. The (wild) tree is uncultivated and wooded, bitter and fruitless. The branch of this (wild) olive tree having been grafted to a domesticated olive tree changes the force of the root and turns it into its own nature.
amarus, a, um adj. bitter
folium, ii n. leaf
incultus, a, um adj. uncultivated
infructuosus, a, um adj. fruitless
insero, inserere, inserui, insertus 3 plant; sow; graft to
muto, mutare, mutavi, mutatus 1 change; move
oleaster, tri m. wild olive tree
olea, ae f. domesticated olive tree
proprius, a, um adj. own; very own
qualitas, atis f. character; nature
radix, icis f. root
ramus, i m. branch
similis, e adj. like; similar
verto, vertere, verti, versus 3 to turn
Oleaster … olee : Olee and oleaster are different genders. Olee is feminine and oleaster is masculine.
Ut dicit Ysidorus : In the 6th century C.E., Isidorus of Seville wrote many books describing the nature of the world. The original writings of Isidorus can be found in the Etymologies of Isidore of Seville, translated by Stephen A. Barney and Lewis W.J. Beach.
eo quod sit : Eo with quod expresses causality.
simillimus : simillimus is in the superlative, and translates to “the most similar.”
Cuius : Take as a demonstrative for smoothness of translation.