Etymograph

English

canna

Canna comes from Latin canna ‘reed’, and goes back to Akkadian qanûm.

  1. Akkadianc. 2500–100 BCEqanûmtransliteratedcuneiform qanûm, a transliteration‘reed, cane’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκᾰ́ννᾰkắnnă‘reed’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanna‘reed’
  4. mulmodernCanna
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2000canna

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Akkadianc. 2500–100 BCEqanûmtransliteratedcuneiform qanûm, a transliteration‘reed, cane’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκᾰ́ννᾰkắnnă‘reed’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanna‘reed’
  4. mulmodernCanna
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2000canna

Earliest quotation: 2000, JG Ballard, Super-Cannes: “A palisade of Canary palms formed an honour guard…”

Linked words

through Akkadian 𒂵𒉡𒌑𒌝 ‘reed, cane’

canon, canister, kanon, 16 more

through Latin canna ‘reed’

channel, canada, canal, cannon, cane, kennel, cannula, cannoli, 8 more

Another origin of canna

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-‘to recognise’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kunnaną‘to know, to be familiar with, to recognise’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kunnan‘to recognise’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150cunnan‘to know how’
  5. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150can(n)
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cunnen‘to be able, know how’
  7. Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500can
  8. Scotsc. 1450–presentsame form
  9. Scots, derivedc. 1450–presentcannae‘cannot’
  10. Englishtodaycanna

Another origin of canna

  1. Akkadianc. 2500–100 BCEqanûmtransliteratedcuneiform qanûm, a transliteration‘reed’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκᾰ́ννᾰ‘reed’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanna‘a reed, cane’
  4. Italianc. 1300–presentsame form‘cane’
  5. Englishtodaysame form

Today it means

noun Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Akkadian qanûm / canna

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