ἀρκέω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
⸤ὅρκια⸥ (Β 124): […]⸤Δασύνει⸥ ὁ Ἡρωδιανός (1, 545, 13). ἐκ τοῦ ὅρος· ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὅρκος· οἱ γὰρ ὀμνύοντες ὁρίζονται καὶ ὀ⸤μν⸥ύουσιν. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρκῶ, τὸ βοηθῶ· ὥσπερ γὰρ βοηθήματι αὐτῷ ἐχρῶντο οἱ ἀδικούμενοι. ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἴργω, τὸ κωλύω· ἐπισχετικὸν γά⸤ρ⸥ ἐστιν τῶν παραβῆναι βουλομένων.
Translation (En)
horkia "victims of the sacrifice warranting the oath": Herodian writes the word with a rough breathing, <saying it comes> from horos "boundary", from which horkos "oath", because those who swear draw a limit while swearing. Or from arkô "to ward off", because those who were unjustly treated used it as a protection. Or from eirgō "to prevent", because it deters those who want to violate it.
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum, omicron, p. 435 (Ὅρκος, παρὰ τὸ εἵργειν καὶ κωλύειν τὸ παραβαίνειν, τροπῇ τοῦ γ εἰς κ· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ὅρος εἶναι καὶ ἀσφάλεια· τὸ δὲ κ πλεονάζει· ἢ παρὰ τὸ κωλύειν ἡμᾶς παραβαίνειν τὴν ἀληθείαν); ibid., p. 434 (Ὅρκις, παρὰ τὸ εἵργω τὸ κωλύω ὁργὸς καὶ ὁρκὸς, ἐπισχετικὸν γὰρ τῶν παραβαινόντων· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρκεῖν καὶ βοηθεῖν, ὡς γὰρ βοηθήματι αὐτῷ χρῶνται οἱ ἀδικούμενοι, ἄρκος καὶ ὅρκος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ὅρος πλεονασμῷ τοῦ κ ὅρκος.); Geneva Scholion Il. 1.233bis ([ὅρκος] παρὰ τὸ εἵργω τὸ κωλύω ὅργος καὶ ὅρκος· ἐπιθετικὸς γὰρ τῶν παραβαινόντων· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐπαρκεῖν καὶ βοηθεῖν· ὡς γὰρ βοηθήματι αὐτῷ χρῶνται οἱ δικαζόμενοι· ἄρκος καὶ ὅρκος, καὶ ὅρκιος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ὅρος, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ κ, ὅρκος· οἱ γὰρ ὀμνύντες ὁρίζονται καὶ ὁμολογοῦσι. δασύνεται <δὲ> ἐν τῇ συναλοιφῇ); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 631 (Ὅρκος: Ἐκ τοῦ ὅρος· οἱ γὰρ ὀμνύοντες ὁρίζονται καὶ ὀμνύουσιν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρκῶ, τὸ βοηθῶ· ὥσπερ γὰρ βοηθήματι αὐτῷ ἐχρῶντο οἱ ἀδικούμενοι· ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἴργω· ἐπισχετικὸν γάρ ἐστι τῶν παραβῆναι βουλομένων· παρὰ οὖν τὸ εἴργειν καὶ κωλύειν τοῦ παραβαίνειν, ὅργος· καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ γ εἰς κ, ὅρκος. Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ὅρκου γίνεται ὅρκιος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕρκος καὶ τειχίον εἶναι τῷ ὀμνύοντι, μὴ παραβῆναι τὰς συνθήκας)
Comment
Derivational etymology relying on a change of the initial vowel. It belongs to a psilotic stage of Greek since ἀρκέω never had an initial aspiration. The idea is that the oath is a protection for people facing a trial as defendants. The etymology relies on an old meaning of ἀρκέω, unattested in prose, where the verb always means "to be sufficient".