χείρ + δίδωμι
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
κέρδος
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
kerdos
English translation (word)
profit
Transliteration (Etymon)
cheire + didōmi
English translation (etymon)
hand + to give
Century
11 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Etym Gudianum, kappa, p. 317
Ed.
F.W. Sturz, Etymologicum Graecae linguae Gudianum et alia grammaticorum scripta e codicibus manuscriptis nunc primum edita, Leipzig: Weigel, 1818
Quotation
Κέρδος, παρὰ τὸ χεὶρ χερὸς χέρδος καὶ κέρδος· κυρίως δὲ τὸ διὰ τῶν χειρῶν διδόμενον ἐπ’ ὠφελείᾳ· ἐτυμολογεῖται δὲ παρὰ τὸ κέαρ[ον] καὶ τὸ ἅδω τὸ ἀρέσκω. τὸ τὴν ψυχὴν εὐφραῖνον· ἢ παρὰ τὸ κέαρ καὶ τὸ ἡδύ.
Translation (En)
Kerdos "profit": from kheir, kheros "hand", *kherdos and kerdos; it refers properly to what is given in the hands as a benefit. There is also another etymology, from kear "heart" and hadō "to please", that which rejoices the soul. Or from kear "heart" and hēdu "pleasing".
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 505 (idem); Scholia in Aristophanem, Plutum 520 (κέρδος κυρίως τὸ εἰς χεῖρας διδόμενον ἀργύριον κέρδος τι ὄν).
Modern etymology
May be cognate with Old Irish cerd "art, handwork". Within Greek, belongs with κόρδυς· πανοῦργος (Hsch), from *kr̥̥d-u- (Beekes, EDG).
Persistence in Modern Greek
MG still has κέρδος "profit"
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Compositional etymology. The first element is identified as χείρ, which has a double stem, χειρ- (in AIonic-Attic prose) and xerь (in poetry). The poetic form χερ- is assumed as the etymon, and provides the first syllable κερ- through a desperation of the velar stop (hence the intermediate step *χέρδος). The second element is identified as the verb "to give"