Etymological explorations: walnut (Juglans regia L.)

Abstract

Aim. The article aims to find out and analyze the origin and use of scientific and folk names of Juglans regia, as well as other related proper names. Methods. The method of direct analysis and synthesis, historical and logical methods and comparative-historical method were used. Results. The Ancient Greeks and Romans called the introduced fruit plant as the Persian nut. Carl Linnaeus established a new genus Juglans, instead of Nux, which was used by his predecessors. He gave a scientific diagnosis of Juglans regia. The Ukrainian name «horikh» (nut) has Proto-Slavic roots. «Voloskyi horikh» (walnut) is the specific Ukrainian name for the crop, and inversion variant of which «Horich voloskyi» or «Horich tsarskyi», as the name corresponds to the author's Latin, are Ukrainian scientific names for this species. In everyday life as well as scientific literature, instead of Ukrainian names, there is sometimes a paired variant «Hretskyi horikht»/«Horikh hrеtskyi». Conclusions. Substitution of the specific Ukrainian name of Juglans regia in Ukrainian-language publications by the Russian term is unjustified and requires purification of the scientific language. In the scientific literature, it is necessary to distinguish between the Ukrainian species name Juglans regia and the crop name, which differ in word order. In Ukraine, «nut» toponyms are quite rarely etymologically related to walnut, although there is a reinterpretation of the names.