قنطرة

Where it comes from

Multiple confounded etymologies:

* Via Classical Syriac ܩܶܢܛܪܳܘܢ (qenṭrōn) from Ancient Greek κέντρον (kéntron, “center”), from the idea of an arch vaulting a central point.

* From Classical Syriac ܩܛܰܪܬܴܐ (qəṭartā, “binding, node, conjunction; specifically also bridge”) from the root ܩ ܛ ܪ related to binding.

* From Latin cintrum, its plural cintra, a vulgar form of cinctūra (“girthing”) employed as such in Medieval Latin and the source of French cintre (“curve, round arch”) – which would ascribe to Arabic the first attestation of this Romance form, the 6ᵗʰ-century poet Ṭarafa’s vers كقنطرة الروميّ أقسم رَبّها لتْكتَنَفَنَ حتى تشاد بِقَرْمَد.

* From Latin canthērius – Ancient Greek κανθήλιος (kanthḗlios) –, meaning a “gelding” and because of this a “beast of burden” and then “trellis; chevrons, spars, gantry” (Gebälk, Sparrwerk, Gerüst), compare for such development the etymologies of chevron, chevalet, gantry, easel.

* A genuine formation from the root ق ط ر (q ṭ r) from which قَطَرَ (qaṭara, “to put (camels) into a file”), قِطَار (qiṭār, “train”), the ن (n) being not a rare augment.