εἶμι

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Thu, 08/05/2021 - 14:03

Word-form

κίων

Transliteration (Word)

kiōn

English translation (word)

pillar

Transliteration (Etymon)

eimi

English translation (etymon)

to go

Author

Herodian?

Century

2 AD

Reference

Peri orthographias, Lentz III/2, p. 535

Edition

A. Lentz, Grammatici Graeci III/2, Leipzig 1870

Source

Choeroboscus

Ref.

De orthographia (epitome), p. 230

Ed.

J.A. Cramer, Anecdota Graeca e codd. manuscriptis bibliothecarum Oxoniensium, vol. 2, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1835 (repr. Amsterdam: Hakkert, 1963)

Quotation

κίων: ι ἢ παρὰ τὸ κίειν, ὅ ἐστιν εἰς ὕψος πορεύεσθαι, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἰών μετοχὴν προσθήκῃ τοῦ κ κίων

Translation (En)

 

Kiōn "pillar": from kiein, that is, "to go" upwards. Or from the participle iōn "going" by prothesis of the [k], kiōn.

Comment

It is not clear whether the etymology goes back to Herodian or was added later on. As a matter of fact, κίω was itself derived from εἶμι (see κίω / εἶμι), so that this etymology is not different from the etymology deriving κίων from κίω (which goes back to Herodian): it maybe that Herodian's explanation was that κίων comes from κιών "going", participle of ἔκιον, and that the thematic aorist ἔκιον, κιεῖν itself was from εἶμι with one letter added, the initial [k]. In that case the compiler mistook for two different etymologies what was in fact a unique etymology, κίων comes from κιών which comes from the participle of εἶμι.

Parallels

 

Orion, Etymologicum, kappa, p. 83 (Κίων. ἀπὸ τοῦ κίειν καὶ ἰέναι. ἢ ὅτι βέβηκέ τι ἐπ’ αὐτῷ, οἷον ἐπιπορεύεται); Etym. parvum, kappa 47 (Κίων· παρὰ τὸ κίειν εἰς ὕψος· ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἰὼν μετοχὴν πλεονασμῷ τοῦ Κ κίων); Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 323 (Κίων, διὰ τοῦ ι, ὁ λίθος, ἀπὸ τοῦ κίειν καὶ ἀνιέναι εἰς ὕψος· ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἰὼν μετοχὴν γίνεται ἴων καὶ κίων); ibid., kappa, p. 324 (Κίων, ἐκ τοῦ κίω ἔκιον, καὶ κιὼν μετοχὴ ἀορίστου β ); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 514 (Κίων: Ὁ λίθος· ἀπὸ τοῦ κίειν καὶ ἀνιέναι εἰς ὕψος· ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἰὼν μετοχὴν, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ κ); Eustathius,Comm. Il. 1, 52 Van der Valk (ἐκ δὲ τοῦ κιών ἐξέδραμεν ὄνομα ὁ κίων, ἀναγκαίως αὐτὸς βαρυτονηθείς); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, kappa, p. 1209 (Κίων. ἀπὸ τοῦ κίειν καὶ ἀνιέναι εἰς ὕψος. παρὰ τὸ τὴν ἰὼν μετοχὴν γέγονεν ἴων καὶ κίων); Scholia in Sophoclem, Aj. 108a (κίων ὁ λίθος παρὰ τὸ κίειν εἰς ὕψος. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἰὼν μετοχήν)

Modern etymology

Isolated within Greek, but has cognates in other IE languages, arm. siwn "column" and Germanic words meaning "leg" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

The word still exists in MG under the form κίονας

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