- κασσίτερος
- κασσίτεροςGrammatical information: m.Meaning: `tin' (Il.)Other forms: Att. καττίτεροςCompounds: as 1. member in κασσιτερο-ποιός `tinner' (Ptol.).Derivatives: κασσιτέρινος (καττι-) `of tin' (Att. inscr., Arist.); Κασσιτερίδες νῆσοι "the tin-islands", prob. SW. of Britain (Hdt. 3, 115, Str.); κασσιτερᾶς m. `tinner' (pap.); κασσιτερόω `tin' (Dsc.).Origin: PG [a word of Pre-Greek origin]Etymology: Origin unknown. One has supposed Elamitie origin, from *kassi-ti-ra "coming from the land of the Kassi (i. e. Kossäer)" (from where Κασσίτιρα island in the Indian Ocean [Dion. ap. St. Byz.]?), but also called Celtic names like Cassi-velaunus , with the Κασσιτερίδες νῆσοι giving their name to the metall (cf. e. g. Κύπρος: copper) or v.v.. - Eberts Reallexikon 6, 299, Schrader-Nehring Reallex. 2, 699f.; lit. in W.-Hofmann s. cassiterum (plus Nachträge); Kretschmer Glotta 27, 36; cf. Bq. - Gr. κασσίτερος was spread widely: Lat. cassiterum (after ferrum, aurum a. o.), OCS kositerъ, Skt. kastīram, Arab. qazdir etc. The group σσ \/ ττ however is typically Pre-Greek, so the word will have come from Greece or Anatolia. Cf. the word for `lead', μόλυβδος.Page in Frisk: 1,798
Greek-English etymological dictionary (Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά ετυμολογική λεξικό). Robert S.P.. 2010.