εἴργω

Validation

Yes

Last modification

Tue, 10/12/2021 - 14:52

Word-form

ὅρκος

Transliteration (Word)

horkos

English translation (word)

oath

Transliteration (Etymon)

eirgō

English translation (etymon)

to prevent

Author

Epimerismi homerici

Century

9 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Epimerismi omerici ordine alphabetico traditi, omicron 8

Ed.

A.R. Dyck, Epimerismi Homerici: Pars altera. Lexicon αἱμωδεῖν [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG), 5.2. Berlin - New York: De Gruyter, 1995: 59-761.

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.

Comment

Derivational etymology implying several formal manipulations (change of [g] into [k],of [e] into [o] and dropping of the [I]. It is semantically similar to the competing etymologies by ἕρκος (see ὅρκος / ἕρκος) and ἀρκέω (see ὅρκος / ἀρκέω): the oath prevents the one who swears from violating 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)

Modern etymology

The connection with ἕρκος is still advocated by some scholars but doubted by others (Beekes, EDG). No other convincing etymology

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has όρκος "oath"

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