ξύω

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Last modification

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 14:03

Word-form

ξύλον

Transliteration (Word)

xulon

English translation (word)

firewood

Transliteration (Etymon)

xuō

English translation (etymon)

to scrape

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

fr. 555

Edition

C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976]: 93-387.

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, xi, p. 111

Ed.

F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820

Quotation

ξύλον· παρὰ τὸν ξύσω μέλλοντα· οὐδεμία γὰρ ὕλη πρὸς ξύσιν ἐπιτηδειοτέρα τοῦ ξύλου. οὕτω Φιλόξενος

Translation (En)

Xulon "firewood": from the future xusō "I will scrape": because no material is more adapted to scraping than dry wood. This is what Philoxenus says.

Comment

Derivational etymology referring to a quality of the material.

Parallels

Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Vat. gr. 1456) 156 (Ξύλον: διὰ τὸ ξέεσθαι καὶ λεαίνεσθαι. ἢ διὰ τὸ ξηρὰν ὕλην εἶναι) [see ξύω / ξέω]; Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos p. 43 (Παρὰ τὸ ξύω τὸ ἐπιτήδειον πρὸς τὸ ξύεσθαι); Eym. Gudianum, xi, p. 416 (Ξύλον, παρὰ τὸν ξύσω μέλλοντα· οὐδεμία γὰρ ὕλη πρὸς τὸ ξύειν ἐπιτηδειοτέρα· ἔνθεν καὶ ξηρόν· πᾶν γὰρ τὸ ξυόμενον ξηρὸν γίνεται); ibid., p. 416 (Ξύλον, παρὰ τὸν ξύσω μέλλοντα, διὰ τὸ ξύεσθαι αὐτό· η διὰ τὸ ξύνεσθαι καὶ λεμνᾶσθαι, τουτ’ἔστι λεπίζεσθαι· ἢ διὰ τὸ ξηρὰν ὕλην ἔχειν); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 611 (Ξύλον: Παρὰ τὸ ξύω· τὸ ἐπιτήδειον πρὸς τὸ ξύεσθαι· οὐδεμία γὰρ ὕλη πρὸς ξύσιν ἐπιτηδειοτέρα ξύλου); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, xi, p. 1419 (Ξύλον. παρὰ τὸ ξύω· οὐδεμία γὰρ ὕλη πρὸς ξύσιν ἐπιτηδειοτέρα ξύλου); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 1, 369–370 Van der Valk (γίνεται δέ, ὥσπερ ξύλον ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύω, οὕτω δόρυ ἀπὸ τοῦ δέρω, ὃ καὶ τὸ ξύω δηλοῖ); Scholia in Euripidis Hecubam 647 (οἱ γὰρ παλαιοὶ δοῦρα ἐκάλουν τὰ ξύλα. λέγεται καὶ ξυστὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύεσθαι [implying that ξύλα is derived from ξύεσθαι])

Modern etymology

Probably not related to ξύω. Cognate with Lith. šùlas "pole", Ru. šulo "pole". PIE *kseu- (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Yes

Entry By

Le Feuvre