ξύω
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
ξίφος
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
xiphos
English translation (word)
sword
Transliteration (Etymon)
xuō
English translation (etymon)
to scrape
Century
5 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Darmstadino 2773, xi, p. 615
Ed.
F.W. Sturz, Etymologicum Graecae linguae Gudianum et alia grammaticorum scripta e codicibus manuscriptis nunc primum edita, Leipzig: Weigel, 1818
Quotation
ξίφος π<α>ρ<ὰ> τὸ ξύω (Sturz: περὶ τὸ ξύω)
Translation (En)
Xiphos "sword": from xuō "to scrape"
Parallels
Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.194b (⸤ξίφος: παρὰ τὸ ὀξύνεσθαι πρὸς⸥ φόνον. γίνεται ἐκ τοῦ ξύω, ξύσω, ξύφος καὶ ξίφος. | τὸ ξι ι· ); Etym. Gudianum, xi, p. 415 (Ξίφος, παρὰ τὸ ξέειν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ὀξύνεσθαι πρὸς φονόν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ξύω ξύσω, ξύφος καὶ ξίφος); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 611 (Ξίφος: Παρὰ τὸ ξαίνειν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ὀξύνεσθαι πρὸς φόνον. Ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύω, ξύσω, ξύφος, καὶ ξίφος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ σκηρίπτω, σκίπος σκίφος, καὶ ξίφος); Tzetzes, Exegesis in Iliadem 1.210.14 (ξίφος· ἐκ τοῦ ξύω, ξύσω, ξύφος καὶ ξίφος· ὡς τὸ Ἀφροδύτη, Ἀφροδίτη· καὶ τὰ ὅμοια)
Modern etymology
Mycenaean has a dual qi-si-pe-e /kwsiphhehe/. Probably a loanword (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
Yes, as a learned word
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Derivational etymology implying a iotacising pronunciation. The main manuscript of Orion has παρα τὸ ξέω, which is semantically similar but formally different. However, several sources show that ξύω itself was derived from ξέω (see ξύω / ξέω), so that the complete derivational pattern seems to be ξέω → ξύω → *ξύφος → ξίφος (explicit in the Byzantine Etymologica) and the main manuscript of Orion only has the starting point of the chain.