@PaulVargas @PaulVargas Generally, yes. I am asking what paul had in mind when he used that word. then i pose a question fishing for an adequate set of examples to show how that word in paul's meaning was being used historically and culturally in his day. then I am trying to rule out proper medicinal, non-harmful, uses of drugs as possible answers and redirecting to what, again, does that word look like in the life of paul's life and times if that option is taken off the table

@PaulVargas i spent some time illustrating what proper medicinal, non-hamful, uses of drugs meant, but left it somewhat ambiguous besides that on purpose

@PaulVargas @Susan It certainly conveys colour better than "moderate mulberry" -- although the thought of mulberry holds its own appeal.

@Susan Quite right. I'm just confused. :D

@Davïd (unrelated) Does it make any sense to you that ע׳׳ע means "geminate" (or so I gather)? I think I don't really understand that notation. Otherwise don't they just use the letters of פעל to name the slots? Other than רעע -- there are probably others -- but most of them don't have an ע in the ע slot.

Is it true that φαρμακεία a word derived from φαρμακεύειν?

@PaulVargas I think so; why not? Looks to me like the verb is denominative, with φάρμακον being primary.

@Susan It does, actually. They are using the "letters of פעל to name the slots". That's the point of the double-ע. Turns out there are 132 different "geminate" roots. And four with the עע in them... - RTL in chat is a big pain, btw.

And the four are: rʿʿ 104; šʿʿ 10; lʿʿ 3; tʿʿ 2. FWIW.

@Davïd Now I'm feeling really dense. Aren't all 132 called ע׳׳ע? But only those four have an ע in the ע slot. (Ben Sira adds qʿʿ -- DCH!)