A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Cornus,-i (s.f.II), abl.sg. corno, nom. pl. corni, gen. pl. cornorum, dat. & abl. sg. cornis: also cornum,-i (s.n.II), abl.sg. corno: Cornel, Dogwood; “the cornel cherry-tree: Cornus mascula L.; a javelin made of cornel-wood” (Lewis & Short); “the cornel-tree or cornelian cherry (Cornus mas); its wood” (Glare).

Cornus, Tournefort. Derived from cornu, a horn; the wood being thought as hard and durable as horn. Cornacece (Paxton).

Cornelian Cherry, European Cornel: Cornus mas L., the Male Cornel.

The Female Cornel = Cornus foemina = Cornus sanguinea L., Blood-twig Dogwood = Cornus sylvestris, the ‘wild Cornell tree.’

NOTE: although a second declension noun, the genus is feminine in accordance with the classical tradition of giving this gender to the names of trees and shrubs.

NOTE: classically the genus was also treated as a fourth declension noun: cornus,-us (s.f.IV) (Lewis & Short) with a feminine gender. Rarely in classical tradition has cornus,-us (s.n.IV) been used to represent cornu,-us (s.n.IV), ‘horn’ (Lewis & Short). See Heteroclitic and Heterogeneous Nouns.

Generic name: Cornus,-i (s.f.II), abl.sg. Corno L. (Cornaceae, type species Cornus mas L.).

“Latin name from ‘cornu,’ a horn; alluding to the hardness of the wood, the European C. sanguinea having long been used for skewers by butchers, whence Skewerwood in English provinces and Dagwood from the Old English ‘dagge,’ a dagger or sharp pointed object” (Fernald 1950). Perhaps ‘horn’ is in reference to the hard wood used in small implements, being ‘horny’ wood, with the texture and hardness of animal horn; see cornu,-us (s.n.IV), horn; see corneus,-a,-um (adj.A).

- Omphalodes Orientalis, Corni folio, (Tourn.), with the leaf of Cornus (Dogwood).

The following are from Tournefort:

- Corni species sunt [the species of Cornus are];

Cornus hortensis, mas. [Garden Dogwood; Cornus mas].

Cornus sativa seu domestica [Cultivated or Domesticated Dogwood].

Cornus hortensis, mas, fructu cerae colore [Garden Dogwood, Cornus mas, with the fruit the color of wax].

NOTE: perhaps ‘cera’ is meant for ‘cherry’ (cerasus), i.e.

‘(cherry) red.’

Cornus hortensis, mas, fructu saturatius rubente, cum ossiculo crassiore &

breviore. [Garden Dogwood, Cornus mas, with the fruit more richly

red, with the drupe thicker and shorter].

Cornus sylvestris, mas. [the wild Cornus mas] = Cornus mas, pumilio

(Tourn.) [Cornus mas, dwarf].

- Tinus prior = Corni foeminae foliis (Tourn.), Tinus prior, with the leaves of Cornus foemina.

– Olea media, oblong, fructu Corni (Tourn.), the medium olive, oblong, with the fruit of Cornus (Dogwood).

- Frutices bacciferi foliis deciduis non spinosi sunt vel erecti aut suis se viribus sustinentes, floribus et fructibus digestis in umbellas, Corni maris; materie solida et dura, viminibus rubris, Cornus foemina (Ray), the berry-producing shrubs are with leaves deciduous, without spines, erect or supporting itself by its own strength, with the flowers and fruits arranged in umbells, Cornus mas; with the material [i.e. wood] solid and hard, with branches red: Cornus foemina [sic].

- Syringa alba foliis Corni, floribus albis odoratis quadrifoliis (Ray), Syringa alba with the leaves of Cornus, with white, four-leaved fragrant flowers.

- Cornus foemina, quam Gallii Latinos imitati Sanguineum fruticem appellant haud minor in monte Castagne non procul Philippis Macedoniae urbe nascitur quam majores nostrae Corni mares. Multis Austriae locis nascuntur etiam corni foeminae arbores mare non minores (Ray), Cornus foemina, which the French name the ‘sanguineus’ [i.e. blood-red] shrub having copied [i.e. followed] the Latins [i.e. Romans], arises no smaller in Monte Castagne not far from the City of Philippi in Macedonia [than our own larger Cornus mas [in plural]. Multis Austriae locis nascuntur etiam corni foeminae arbores mare non minores (Ray), trees of Cornus foemina arise even in many localities in Austria [= locative] [that are] not smaller than [C. mas].

corneus,-a,-um (adj.A), q.v.: corneous; corneus,-a,-um (adj.A), cornaceus,-a,-um (adj.A), q.v., of the cornel-tree, of cornel or dog-wood; made of cornel-wood.

Cornum,-i (s.n.II), abl.sg. corno: the fruit of the cornelian cherry, a cornel-berry (Glare).