ἰαίνω

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Last modification

Wed, 12/22/2021 - 18:05

Word-form

αἶνος

Transliteration (Word)

ainos

English translation (word)

tale, praise

Transliteration (Etymon)

iainō

English translation (etymon)

to warm, to cheer

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, alpha, p. 15

Ed.

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

Quotation

Ἔπαινος, παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω, ἀποβολῇ τοῦ ι, αἶνος, παρὰ τὸ διαχεῖν καὶ χαίρειν τὴν ψυχὴν τούτῳ.

Translation (En)

Epainos "praise", from iainō "to warm", through dropping of the [I], ainos "tale, praise", because the soul is rejoiced and made happy by it. 

Comment

Derivational etymology taking the verb as its starting point and deleting the initial letter. The praise (αἶνος) warms (ἰαίνει) the soul: this relies on the commonplace association between warm and pleasant. The same etymology is valid for ἔπαινος "praise", the usual form in Greek prose.

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 49 (idem); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 114 (Αἴνεσις. ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰνῶ αἰνέσω, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ αἶνος, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω, τὸ εὐφραίνομαι, ὁ μέλλων, ἰανῶ, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἴανος, καὶ ἐν ὑπερβιβασμῷ καὶ κράσει αἶνος); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 47 (idem); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 170 (αἰνετός. παρὰ τὸ αἰνῶ αἰνέσω αἰνετός· τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω, τὸ εὐφραίνομαι, ἴαινος, καὶ ἀποβολῇ αἶνος); ibid., p. 178 (αἰνεῖται. παρὰ τὸ αἰνῶ, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ αἶνος· τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 47 (idem); Pseudo-Choeroboscus, Περὶ ποσότητος, p. 316 (Τὰ παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ εὐφραίνομαι, διὰ τοῦ αι γράφεται· αἶνος εὐφραίνει γάρ, καὶ θεραπεύει ὁ ἔπαινος· ἀρισταίνω· ὑγιαίνω· αἰνῶ καὶ ἐπαινῶ); Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.149d2 (κερδαλεόφρων: παρὰ τὸ φρένα καὶ τὸ κερδαλέον, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ κερδῶ κερδαίνω, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ κέαρ καὶ τὸ †αἶνος, τουτέστιν ὁ τὴν ψυχὴν ἰαίνων, ὅ ἐστιν εὐφραίνων); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, alpha 305 (α<ἶ>νος καὶ αἰνός: προπερισπωμένως μὲν ὁ ἔπαινος· καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥήματος ἰαίνω, τὸ διαχέω, οἷον ‘ἰαίνετο δὲ φρένας’ (Ap. Rh. 3, 1019) καὶ «τοῖο δὲ θυμὸς " ἰάνθη’ (Ψ 597-98), ἴαινος, ὁ διαχέων τὴν ψυχήν, ἀφαιρέσει τοῦ ι αἶνος, ὡς ἰήϊος ἤϊος. ὀξυτόνως δὲ ὁ φοβερὸς ἢ πονηρὸς καὶ κακός, ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ τὸ ‘αἰνόθεν αἰνῶς’ (Η 97). γίνεται παρὰ τὸ δεινός ἀποβολῇ τοῦ δ καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ε εἰς α. †ὁ δὲ Ὦρος λέγει† ὅτι παρὰ τὸ δάϊς, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν μάχην, δαϊνός καὶ ἀφαιρέσει τοῦ δ ἀϊνός καὶ αἰνός); Etym. Genuinum, alpha 215 (Αἶνος (Hes. op. 202)· ‘νῦν δ’ αἶνον βασιλεῦσ’ ἐρέω φρονέουσι καὶ αὐτοῖς’. γέγονε δὲ παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω, τὸ τέρπω, <***> διαχέω, ἴαινος, ὁ διαχέων τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ ἀφαιρέσει τοῦ ι, ὡ<ς> † ἴηος ἦος † γέγονεν ἴαινος αἶνος, ὁ ἔπαινος, προπερισπώμενον καὶ ῥῆμα ἐξ αὐτοῦ αἰνῶ παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω, τὸ διαχέω); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 48 (Αἶνος <Ps. 8, 3>· παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνειν καὶ χαίνειν ἴαινος καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ ι αἶνος); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 2, 84 Stallbaum (γίνεται γὰρ ὁ μὲν εὐλογητικὸς αἶνος παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνειν ὡς οἷον ἴαινος); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 35 (Αἶνος: Παρὰ τὸ ἰαίων, τὸ τέρπω καὶ εὐφραίων καὶ διαχέω, ἴαινος, ὁ διαχέων τὴν ψυχήν· καὶ ἀφαιρέσει τοῦ ἰῶτα, ὡς ἰήϊος, ἤϊος, γέγονεν αἶνος, ὁ ἔπαινος· καὶ ῥῆμα ἐξ αὐτοῦ αἰνῶ· παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω· οἷον, ‘Ἰαίνετο δὲ φρένας εἴσω’. καὶ, ‘Τοῖσιν ἰάνθη θυμός’. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ αἶνος πόλις Θρᾴκης. Αἰνὸς δὲ, ὁ φοβερὸς, ἢ πονηρὸς καὶ κακός· ἀφ’ οὗ αἰνόθεν, καὶ αἰνῶς, καὶ αἰνότατα); ibid., p. 36 (Αἴνεσις: Παρὰ τὸ αἰνῶ αἰνέσω· τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ αἶνος· τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω· ὁ μέλλων, ἰανῶ· ἐξ   αὐτοῦ ἴανος, καὶ ἐν ὑπερβιβασμῷ καὶ κράσει, αἶνος, γνώμη, παροιμία, παράδειγμα, ἔπαινος); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 152 (παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω, τὸ τέρπω καὶ εὐφραίνω καὶ διαχέω); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 70 (Αἶνος. ὁ ἔπαινος. παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω τὸ τέρπω, καὶ διαχέω τὴν ψυχὴν, ἴαινος καὶ αἶνος. ‘νῦν δ’ αἶνον ἐρέω’); ibid., alpha, p. 75 (Αἰνείας. κύριον. παρὰ τὸ αἶνος, ὃ σημαίνει τὸν ἔπαινον, γίνεται Αἰνέας, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ι Αἰνείας. τὸ δὲ αἶνος παρὰ τὸ ἰαίνω τὸ εὐφραίνομαι· γίνεται ἴαινος, καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ ι αἶνος)

Modern etymology

Unknown (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has αίνος as a learned word meaning "praise", and ἐπαινος

Entry By

Le Feuvre