The Latin word 'sinus,' from which we get 'sine,' originally meant what in the context of translation errors from Arabic?
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Bay, pocket, or fold
The term originated from the Sanskrit 'jiva' (chord), which was transliterated into Arabic as 'jiba.' European translators mistook the word for 'jayb' (pocket or fold), leading to the Latin translation 'sinus.'
Also asked as:
- When European translators misread Arabic texts, they used the Latin word 'sinus' to mean what?