The Lithuanian Origin of One of the Polish Dialectal Names of Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.)

Abstract

This article attempts to establish the etymology of the Polish dialectal name czyżma, which refers to common tansy, Tanacetum vulgare L. This name occurs in the Suwałki region. The analysis conducted shows that the Polish dial. czyżma ‘tansy’ and Polish ciżma ‘type of shoe used in the old days’ have nothing to do with each other. The Suwałki dialectal name of tansy is a loanword from Lithuanian. It comes from the Lithuanian čižmà ‘common tansy, Tanacetum vulgare L.’. The Lithuanian form is most likely a derivative of the verb čìžti, and its semantic motivation is the density (compactness) of the plant’s inflorescences or stiffness of its stems.