Etymology of cannabis

This article is about the Latin word. For the plant, see Cannabis. For therapeutic preparations of the plant, see Medical cannabis. For other uses, see Cannabis (disambiguation).

The plant name cannabis is a Scythian word,[1][2][3] which loaned into Persian as kanab, then into Greek as κάνναβις (kánnabis) and subsequently into Latin as cannabis.[4] The ancient Greeks learned of the use of cannabis by observing Scythian funerals, during which cannabis was consumed.[2] In Akkadian, cannabis was known as qunubu (𐎯𐎫𐎠𐎭𐏂).[2] The word was adopted in to the Hebrew language as qaneh bosem (קָנֶה בֹּשׂם).[2] The Germanic word that gives rise to English hemp (Old English hænep, Common Germanic *hanapi-z) may be an early Germanic loan (predating Grimm's law) from the same source.

  1. ^ Gray, Stephen (9 December 2016). Cannabis and Spirituality: An Explorer's Guide to an Ancient Plant Spirit Ally. Simon and Schuster. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-62055-584-2. Cannabis is called kaneh bosem in Hebrew, which is now recognized as the Scythian word that Herodotus wrote as kánnabis (or cannabis).
  2. ^ a b c d Riegel, A.; Ellens, J.H. (2014). Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances: Chemical Paths to Spirituality and to God [2 volumes]. Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 80. ISBN 979-8-216-14310-9. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  3. ^ Duncan, Perry M. (17 September 2020). Substance Use Disorders: A Biopsychosocial Perspective. Cambridge University Press. p. 441. ISBN 978-0-521-87777-0. Cannabis is a Scythian word (Benet 1975).
  4. ^ "cannabis". OED Online. July 2009. Oxford University Press. 2009.