ܐܣܦܪܡܟܐ sprmkʾ aromatic herbs; Ocymum basilicum
Allotropes: ܐܣܦܪܡܩܐ ʾsprmqʾ, ܣܦܵܪܡܩܵܐ sprmqʾ spārmqā; ܣܦܪܡܝܩܐ sprmyqʾ; ܫܗܣܦܪܡ šhsprm; ܫܐܗܫܦܪܡ šʾhšprm; ܐܣܦܪܘܐ ʾsprwʾ
ʾsprmkʾ, ʾsprmqʾ, sprmqʾ ← Early MP sprahmak, later sprahm(ag) [splhm(k')] flower, fragrant herb (CPD 76); šhsprm, šʾhšprm ← MP šāh-esprahm [šh-splhm] basil royal (CPD 79); NP šāh-isparam, šāh-isparham, šāh-isfarham, šāh-isparγam basil-royal (Steingass 726). The MP words derive from MP spram [splm] flower (Nyberg 178), ManMP ʿsprhm /isprahm/ id. (Durkin-Meisterernst 2004, 86); NP siparham, siparam, sipram sweet basil (Steingass 651 f.). As regards MP sprahmag see also ManParth. and ManMP ʿsprhmg /isprahmag/ flower (Durkin-Meisterernst 2004, 86); Sogd. ʾsprγmʾk; NP siparγam, sipraγam sweet basil, marjoram (Steingass 651). — Talm. Aram. ʾsprmqʾ aspramqā (Telegdi 231, 23; 219: loanword of Sasanian times); Md. ʿtʾpsrʾmkʾ tapsramka, etapsramka (Widengren 1960, 102). According to Widengren, the Md. form could be a loanword from Parthian: “Das Lehnwort kann wegen der -ak Ableitung parthisch sein, da das Mp. die Form ohne diese Ableitung vorzuziehen scheint; doch ist das natürlich unsicher”. Widengren suspects a scribal error, because the Md. forms do not agree with the Sogdian ones as normally happens; the scholar proposes (as already LS 760a) that all the Semitic forms derive from Ir. *šā(h)spramkā. Cf. sprwrʾ ● ʾsprmkʾ KwD 177, 6 = 2117, 5; 110, 6; sprmqʾ BB 682, 22; ZDMG 30, 768; 31, 538; sprmyqʾ KwDW 175, 21; 334, 15; šhsprm; šʾhšprm BB 1927 n. 14; 2011, 17; ʾsprwʾ Jšdd ev 2, 237,16; EN 49, 25; BA 1035 ◆ LS 37a; 493b; 760a; 36b; Lagarde GA 65, 2; 83, r. 9 ff.; Lagarde 1878, 48; Löw 152 and 142, 153; Flora 2, 89; PS Suppl. 29