574 Sino-Iranica 



possible to prove this interdependence; yet it is probable to a high 

 degree and seems altogether plausible. 



7. Textiles made from cotton are designated in Mongol bits (Kalmuk 

 bos), in Jurci (JuSen or Niu6i) busu, in Manchu boso. This series, first 

 of all, is traceable to Uigur b'oz. 1 The entire group is manifestly con- 

 nected, as already recognized by Schott, 2 with Greek fiva&os (byssos), 

 which itself goes back to Semitic (Hebrew bus, Assyrian busu). But 

 how the Semitic word advanced to Central Asia is still obscure; its 

 presence in Uigur might point to Iranian mediation, but it has not yet 

 been traced in any Iranian language. Perhaps it was transmitted to 

 the Uigur directly by Nestorian missionaries. The case would then be 

 analogous to Mongol nom (Manchu nomun), from Uigur nom, num 

 ("a sacred book, law"), which Abel-R£musat 3 traced through Semitic 

 to Greek vofxos. 



Cotton itself is styled in Mongol kiiben or kiibitn, in Manchu kubun. 

 Schott (I.e.) was inclined to derive this word from Chinese ku-pei, but 

 this is impossible in view of the labial surd. Nevertheless it may be 

 that the Mongol term is connected with a vernacular form based on 

 Sanskrit karpasa, to which also Chinese ku-pei is indirectly traceable 

 (above, p. 491). This form must be sought for in Iranian; true it 

 is, in Persian we have kirpds (correspondingly in Armenian kerpas) 

 and in Arabic kirbas. In VaxI, a Pamir dialect, however, we 

 find kubas* which, save the final s, agrees with the Mongol form. 

 The final nasals in the Mongol and Manchu words remain to be 

 explained. 



8. Mongol anar, pomegranate, is doubtless derived from Persian 

 anar (above, p. 285). In the Chinese-Uigur Dictionary we meet the 

 form nara. b In this case, accordingly, Uigur cannot be held responsible 

 as the mediator between Persian and Mongol. In all probability, the 

 fruit was directly transmitted by Iranians to the Mongols, who thus 

 adopted also the name for it. 



9. Mongol turma, radish, is derived from Persian turma (also turub, 

 turb, turf). 6 



1 F. W. K. MtfLLER, Uigurica, II, p. 70. 



2 Altaisches Sprachengeschlecht, p. 5; and Abh. Berl. Akad., 1867, p. 138. 



3 Recherches sur les langues tartares, p. 137. 



4 Hjuler, The Pamir Languages, p. 38. 



5 Klaproth, Sprache und Schrift der Uiguren, p. 14; and Radloff, Turk. 

 W6rt., Vol. Ill, col. 648. 



6 Cf. T'oung Pao, 1916, p. 84. The derivation from Persian escaped Munkacsi 

 and Gombocz (M6m. Soc. finno-ougrienne, Vol. XXX, p. 131), who erroneously 

 seek the foundation of the word in Turkish. 



