Stringing nuts together: a question on the Bartenura, Uqtzin 2:5

Question

In explaining the Mishna, the Bartenura often clarifies obscure words by providing a cognate word in either Hebrew or Aramaic - the latter usually taken from the Targum, but sometimes from the Bavli or Yerushalmi. In Uqtzin 2:5, he explains the verb, אמנן (as in, האגוזים שאמנן) to mean "braided, joined together" (שגדלן וחברן זו לזו), and then backs that up with a verse in Esther: "ויהי אומן את הדסה" (Esther 2:7).

Since Mordekhai was neither braiding Esther nor joining her to something else, how does this passuk clarify the meaning of the word in its mishnaic context??

Answer 1

Maybe that's why he says "שגדלן" (which otherwise seems out of place when talking about stringing things together. I mean, yeah, by doing so you're making something that's bigger, but that's not usually thought of as embiggening the nuts): to show the connection to the word in Esther which means "to embiggen" in another sense, viz to rear.

Just my own thought: I've no support for it.

Answer 2

פרק ב - משנה ה
חִבּוּר. הִתְחִיל לְפָרֵק, אֹכֶל שֶׁהִתְחִיל בּוֹ, אֵינוֹ חִבּוּר. ‎‏ הָאֱגוֹזִים שֶׁאֲמָנָן‏ ‎‏ הָאֱגוֹזִים וְהַשְּׁקֵדִים, חִבּוּר, עַד שֶׁיְּרַסֵּס:‏
ר"ע מברטנורה הַמְחַתֵּךְ לְבַשֵּׁל. ...:
הָאֱגוֹזִים שֶׁאֲמָנָן שֶׁגִּדְּלָן וְחִבְּרָן זוֹ בָזוֹ. לְשׁוֹן וַיְהִי אֹמֵן אֶת הֲדַסָּה (אֶסְתֵּר ב): ... ‏
‏ Omen= growing. See Tif'eret Israel 51 See Mishna Kiddushin Shifcha Gadelet (chapter 2 mishna 3 "עַל מְנָת שֶׁיֶּשׁ לִי בַת אוֹ שִׁפְחָה גַדֶּלֶת" (Bartenura "קוֹלַעַת שְׂעַר הַנָּשִׁים ")). Gadel = Braiding

Your question is Strong

But the point is the translation between the radical "גדל" and the radical "אמן", after this, the figurative sense and others are contingents.
Gadel = Braiding; Aman = Gadel; => Aman = Braiding;
To grow, a crop, for example, some things can not grown if you do not make a Braid. garlic braids are length. Curly hear without Braids seem least length.