قسطاس

Arabic

Alternative forms

قِسْطَار‎ (qisṭār), قُسْطَار‎ (qusṭār), قَسْطَرِيّ‎ (qasṭariyy), *سِقِسْطَار‎ (*siqisṭār), سِقِنْطَار‎ (siqinṭār), سِنِقْطَار‎ (siniqṭār), سِقْطِرِيّ‎ (siqṭiriyy)

Etymology

Via an Aramaic term retained in Classical Syriac ܣܓܘܣܛܪܐ‎ (səgosṭārā) and other Syriac spellings from Ancient Greek ζυγοστάτης (zugostátēs, “weigher”), which also passed into Latin zygostatēs. For the stem ending in ـس (-s), maybe also denoting the occupation after ζυγοστασία (zugostasía), ζυγοστάτησις (zugostátēsis, “weighing”). Influenced by قِسْط‎ (qisṭ, “share”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /qis.tˤaːs/, IPA^(key): /qus.tˤaːs/

Noun

قُسْطَاس or قِسْطَاس • (qusṭās or qisṭās) m (plural قَسَاطِيس‎ (qasāṭīs))

(obsolete) weigher, moneychanger
Synonyms: وَزَّان‎ (wazzān), صَرَّاف‎ (ṣarrāf)

Usage notes

After antiquity, when the word was no more understood, occurrences such as in the Qurʾān were frequently interpreted as “balance, scales”.

Declension

Declension of noun قُسْطَاس (qusṭās)‎; قِسْطَاس (qisṭās)

Singular	basic singular triptote
Singular	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	قُسْطَاس‎; قِسْطَاس qusṭās‎; qisṭās	الْقُسْطَاس‎‎; الْقِسْطَاس‎ al-qusṭās‎; al-qisṭās	قُسْطَاس‎; قِسْطَاس qusṭās‎; qisṭās
Nominative	قُسْطَاسٌ‎; قِسْطَاسٌ qusṭāsun‎; qisṭāsun	الْقُسْطَاسُ‎‎; الْقِسْطَاسُ‎ al-qusṭāsu‎; al-qisṭāsu	قُسْطَاسُ‎; قِسْطَاسُ qusṭāsu‎; qisṭāsu
Accusative	قُسْطَاسًا‎‎; قِسْطَاسًا‎ qusṭāsan‎; qisṭāsan	الْقُسْطَاسَ‎‎; الْقِسْطَاسَ‎ al-qusṭāsa‎; al-qisṭāsa	قُسْطَاسَ‎; قِسْطَاسَ qusṭāsa‎; qisṭāsa
Genitive	قُسْطَاسٍ‎; قِسْطَاسٍ qusṭāsin‎; qisṭāsin	الْقُسْطَاسِ‎‎; الْقِسْطَاسِ‎ al-qusṭāsi‎; al-qisṭāsi	قُسْطَاسِ‎; قِسْطَاسِ qusṭāsi‎; qisṭāsi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	قُسْطَاسَيْن‎‎; قِسْطَاسَيْن‎ qusṭāsayn‎; qisṭāsayn	الْقُسْطَاسَيْن‎‎; الْقِسْطَاسَيْن‎ al-qusṭāsayn‎; al-qisṭāsayn	قُسْطَاسَيْ‎‎; قِسْطَاسَيْ‎ qusṭāsay‎; qisṭāsay
Nominative	قُسْطَاسَانِ‎‎; قِسْطَاسَانِ‎ qusṭāsāni‎; qisṭāsāni	الْقُسْطَاسَانِ‎‎; الْقِسْطَاسَانِ‎ al-qusṭāsāni‎; al-qisṭāsāni	قُسْطَاسَا‎‎; قِسْطَاسَا‎ qusṭāsā‎; qisṭāsā
Accusative	قُسْطَاسَيْنِ‎‎; قِسْطَاسَيْنِ‎ qusṭāsayni‎; qisṭāsayni	الْقُسْطَاسَيْنِ‎‎; الْقِسْطَاسَيْنِ‎ al-qusṭāsayni‎; al-qisṭāsayni	قُسْطَاسَيْ‎‎; قِسْطَاسَيْ‎ qusṭāsay‎; qisṭāsay
Genitive	قُسْطَاسَيْنِ‎‎; قِسْطَاسَيْنِ‎ qusṭāsayni‎; qisṭāsayni	الْقُسْطَاسَيْنِ‎‎; الْقِسْطَاسَيْنِ‎ al-qusṭāsayni‎; al-qisṭāsayni	قُسْطَاسَيْ‎‎; قِسْطَاسَيْ‎ qusṭāsay‎; qisṭāsay
Plural	basic broken plural diptote
Plural	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	قَسَاطِيس‎ qasāṭīs	الْقَسَاطِيس‎ al-qasāṭīs	قَسَاطِيس‎ qasāṭīs
Nominative	قَسَاطِيسُ‎ qasāṭīsu	الْقَسَاطِيسُ‎ al-qasāṭīsu	قَسَاطِيسُ‎ qasāṭīsu
Accusative	قَسَاطِيسَ‎ qasāṭīsa	الْقَسَاطِيسَ‎ al-qasāṭīsa	قَسَاطِيسَ‎ qasāṭīsa
Genitive	قَسَاطِيسَ‎ qasāṭīsa	الْقَسَاطِيسِ‎ al-qasāṭīsi	قَسَاطِيسِ‎ qasāṭīsi

References

Shahîd, Irfan (2008), “Latin Loanwords”, in Versteegh, Kees, editor, Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 7 relates the derivation from Latin cōnstāns as “surrounded by questions”
Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 198 about قسطاس‎ rejects Heinrich Leberecht Fleischer’s derivation from Latin cōnstāns as semantically implausible and not supported by any Aramaic form
Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 279–280 about سقنطار‎, then connecting to Latin sēcrētārius
Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 187 about قسطار‎, then connecting to Latin quaestor
Fraenkel, Siegmund (1892), “قسطاس”, in Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes‎ (in German), volume 6, issue 3, pages 258–262 finally connecting all; but in lack of an Aramaic form for ـس (-s) makes a dubious Coptic origin insinuation, the kind of which we nowadays distance ourselves from, as for أُسْقُف‎ (ʔusquf) and س ج ن‎ (s-j-n).
Freytag, Georg (1833), “سِنِقْطَار”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum (in Latin), volume 2, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 366b
Růžička, Rudolf (1909), “Konsonantische Dissimilation in den semitischen Sprachen”, in Beiträge zur Assyriologie und semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎ (in German), volume VI, issue 4, Leipzig · Baltimore: J.C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung · The Johns Hopkins Press, page 6 connects سِقْطِرِيّ‎ (siqṭiriyy) to Latin sēcrētārius, and Růžička, Rudolf (1909), “Konsonantische Dissimilation in den semitischen Sprachen”, in Beiträge zur Assyriologie und semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎ (in German), volume VI, issue 4, Leipzig · Baltimore: J.C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung · The Johns Hopkins Press, page 24 سِقِنْطَار‎ (siqinṭār) and سِنِقْطَار‎ (siniqṭār) to Latin sēcrētārius after Fraenkel which Fraenkel had already dismissed.
Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680), “سنقطار”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum, Vienna, column 2687
“skwsṭr”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–

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