Talk:stagnum

"Although often mentioned in dictionaries, the use of the spelling stagnum as a form of stannum ‎(“tin”) is unattested in Classical or Late Latin. It is perhaps a later Italianate respelling of that word."

It is exactly the opposite: it is "stannum" which is unattested, "stagnum" (tin) is attested e.g. in Pliny.

I believe that under "usage notes" a mistake has been made in reporting Alain Rey's conclusions. He follows Ernout and Meillet almost verbatim, and says "the form stagnum, better attested than stannum, does not appear before Pliny..." However, this does not seem to be because, as the usage notes say now, that Gaulish influence created this alternative form. Rather what is suggested is that stagnum is a borrowing from Gaulish, and that stannum does not seem to be attested. Neither in Pliny nor in the descendants of Latin like Italian stagno. --Kavindad1 (talk) 22:53, 18 May 2020 (UTC)