Word Origins | Rum

Mavi Boncuk |

Rum: (from GR romios “Doğu Romalı” from Roma[1]. fromAR or PE rūm روم “Roma (Bizans) ülkesi” sözcüğünden alıntıdır. Bu sözcük Eski Yunanca ʰrōmē ῥώμη “Roma” sözcüğünden alıntıdır. 

1. Yunan asıllı kimselere verilen isim: Rum ve Acem ebyaz ve Arap esmerdir (İsmâil Hakkı Bursevî).

2. (İsim tamlamasının birinci öğesi olarak) Bu kimselerle ilgili: “Rum kilisesi.” “Rum askerleri.”

3. Doğu Roma İmparatorluğu sınırları içinde oturanlara verilen isim: Rum kayserinin kellesi bir mızrak ucunda (Orhan S. Orhon).

4. teşmil. Anadolu: “Rum Selçukluları.” “Diyâr-ı Rum.” Fuzûlî ister isen izdiyâd-ı rütbe-i fazl / Diyâr-ı Rûm’u gözet terk-i hâk-i Bağdâd et (Fuzûlî). Tâ cihân-âbâda vardı Isfahan mülkün geçip / Rûm’dan pervâz eden şi’r-i terim ankā gibi (Nedim’den).

Rum ateşi:Greek fire [2] Eski savaşlarda yangın çıkarmak için kullanılan, suda dahi yanabilen çok yakıcı madde, Arap ateşi, âteş-i Rûmî: İstanbul kuşatmasında günler uzuyor, surlar aşılmıyor, zafer askerin yüzüne gülmüyordu. Bizans direnişi artık göz korkutuyordu, Rum ateşi müthişti (Ahmet Kabaklı). Rum ili: Osmanlı Devleti’nin Balkanlar’daki topraklarına verilen isim, Rumeli.

Orhon yazıtlarında görülen Porom/Forom, Rum ülkesinin Partça adı olan From biçiminden alınmıştır. Karş. Ermenice Hrom (aynı anlamda).

Anadolu ve Balkanların aslî adı olarak 18.-19. yy'a dek kullanılmıştır. Rūmī dil adı Türkçede genellikle "Bizans Yunancası", İran kültürel alanında ise "Türkiye Türkçesi" anlamında kullanılır.

Rumca, Rumeli, Rumi, Urum [Orhun Yazıtları, 735] tabğaç tüpüt apar porom/forom kırkız [Çin Tibet Avar Rum Kırgız] Rūmī [Kutadgu Bilig, 1069]

Yüzin kizledi yérke Rūmī kızı

[1] Rome: capital of Italy; seat of an ancient republic and empire; city of the Papacy, Old English, from Old French Rome, from Latin Roma, a word of uncertain origin. "The original Roma quadrata was the fortified enclosure on the Palatine hill," according to Tucker, who finds "no probability" in derivation from *sreu- "flow," and suggests the name is "most probably" from *urobsma (urbs, robur) and otherwise, "but less likely" from *urosma "hill" (compare Sanskrit varsman- "height, point," Lithuanian viršus "upper"). Another suggestion [Klein] is that it is from Etruscan (compare Rumon, former name of Tiber River).

Common in proverbs, such as Rome was not buylt in one daye (1540s); for when a man doth to Rome come, he must do as there is done (1590s); All roads lead to Rome (1795).

The provinces of the Eastern Roman Empire are Bilâdü’r-Rûm which means "the homeland of the Greeks" among Muslims.

It is known as Rûm, and the Mediterranean that surrounds them is Bahrü’r-Rûm which means "Roman sea". After the Eastern Rome lost power and suffered land losses in time, the Eastern Roman land close to the Muslim border was called Rûm for short. Finally at the end of 11th century the Anatolian peninsula was also known by this name after the Seljuk rule began at the end of the century.

[2] Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman Empire beginning c. 672. Used to set fire to enemy ships, it consisted of a combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon. Some historians believe it could be ignited on contact with water, and was probably based on naphtha and quicklime. The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect, as it could continue burning while floating on water. The technological advantage it provided was responsible for many key Byzantine military victories, most notably the salvation of Constantinople from the first and second Arab sieges, thus securing the Empire's survival.

The impression made by Greek fire on the western European Crusaders was such that the name was applied to any sort of incendiary weapon, including those used by Arabs, the Chinese, and the Mongols. However, these mixtures used formulas different from that of Byzantine Greek fire, which was a closely guarded state secret. Byzantines also used pressurized nozzles to project the liquid onto the enemy, in a manner resembling a modern flamethrower.

Although usage of the term "Greek fire" has been general in English and most other languages since the Crusades, original Byzantine sources called the substance a variety of names, such as "sea fire" (Medieval Greek: πῦρ θαλάσσιον pŷr thalássion), "Roman fire" (πῦρ ῥωμαϊκόν pŷr rhōmaïkón), "war fire" (πολεμικὸν πῦρ polemikòn pŷr), "liquid fire" (ὑγρὸν πῦρ hygròn pŷr), "sticky fire" (πῦρ κολλητικόν pŷr kollētikón), or "manufactured fire" (πῦρ σκευαστόν pŷr skeuastón).^[1][2]

The composition of Greek fire remains a matter of speculation and debate, with various proposals including combinations of pine resin, naphtha, quicklime, calcium phosphide, sulfur, or niter.