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# Columbus

🏷 Greek Latin Semitic pun · name — by Gerry · Sep 2020 · 255 words

The name Columbus, borne by the purported discoverer of America Christopher Columbus, plus variants like Coulomb, seem to be a pun with Latin collybista / Greek kollubistes for “money-changer” & “banker”. The word root seems derived from Semitic חלף ḥlp for “exchange”, found in the title caliph. It’s probably meant as a double-pun for banking & disguising. The name Columbus also puns with “colony”, which was what the whole project was about. The Latin word columbus means “dove”, which makes for good punny symbolism.

#### Latin, Greek collybista, kollubistes = exchage, coin, money-changer, banker

collybista : money-changer, banker; From Ancient Greek κολλυβιστής (kollubistḗs, “money-changer”), from Ancient Greek κόλλυβος (kóllubos, “a small coin”) — Latin (Wikt)

κολλυβιστής kollubistes : rate of exchange, premium; a money-changer, banker — Ancient Greek (LSJ.gr)

κόλλυβος kollubos : small money, small gold weight; rate of exchange; Etymology: Semitic, cf. Hebr. ḥālap exchange — Ancient Greek (LSJ.gr)

קלבון qlbwn : agio, surcharge; Greek kollybos, also kollybon (= coin; orig. ‘change’), which stands for chollyphos and derives from Heb. חָלַף (= he changed; see חלף). Accordingly קָלֽבּוֹן has been reborrowed from Greek kollybon. — Hebrew (Klein)

#### Semitic ḥlp = exchange

חלף ḥlp : to pass on, pass away, change; changed, exchanged, bartered; Aram. (also BAram.) חֲלַף (= passed on, passed by, changed), Syr. חֲלַף (= he exchanged, substituted), Aram.-Syr. חֲלָף (= instead of, for), SArab. חלף (= territory, province), Arab. ḫalafa (= he came after, succeeded), ḫalfa (= behind). — Hebrew (Klein)

חליף ḥlyp : on behalf of, as exchange for — Aramaic (CAL)

חליפה ḥlyph : substitute; successor; change; change of clothes; requital; in place of — Aramaic (CAL)

🏷 Greek Latin Semitic pun · name