μαστός + χαλάω
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English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
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Quotation
Μασχάλη. ἀπὸ τοῦ κεχαλᾶσθαι εἰς μαστὸν, ἢ εἰς ἣν χαλᾶται ὁ μῦς, ἢ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀλέας τῆς διὰ τὴν καμπὴν τοῦ σώματος. οὕτω Σωρανός. ὁ δὲ Ἡρακλείδης ἀπὸ τοῦ μαστεύειν τι ὑπ’ αὐτήν· ἐπειδὴ οἱ ὑφαιρούμενοι ὑπ’ αὐτὴν κρύπτουσι.
Translation (En)
Maskhalē "armpit": from "to be loosened" (kekhalâsthai) toward the breast, the one toward which the muscle (mūs) relaxes, or from the heat produced by the body's bending. This is what Soranus says. But Heraclides says it comes from masteuō "to seek": one seeks something under it, because thieves hide <their theft> under it.
Parallels
Orion, Etymologicum (excepta e cod. regio Paris. 2630), p. 187 (Μασχάλη· παρὰ τὸ εἰς μασ<τ>ὸν χαλᾶσθαι· ἢ παρὰ τὸ σχῶ σχήσω σχήλη, ὡς στήσω στήλη, καὶ μεταθέσει τοῦ η εἰς α, σχάλη, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τῆς μα συλλαβῆς, μασχάλη, ἡ λίαν κατέχουσα ἅτινα ἂν σχῇ· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ χαλᾶσθαι εἰς μαστόν· ἢ εἰς ἣν χαλᾶται ὁ μῦς· ἢ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀλέας τῆς διὰ τὴν καμπὴν τοῦ σώματος. οὕτω Σωρανός. ὁ δὲ Ἡρακλείδης ἀπὸ τοῦ μαστεύειν τὶ ὑπ’ αὐτὴν, ἐπειδὴ οἱ ὑφαιρούμενοί τι ὑπ’ αὐτὴν κρύπτουσιν); Etym. Gudianum, mu, p. 381 (idem); Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 119 (ἡ οὖν μασχάλη ἐτυμολογεῖται παρὰ τὸ λίαν κατέχειν ἅτινα ἂν σχῇ· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ κεχαλᾶσθαι εἰς μαστόν· ἢ εἰς ἣν χαλᾶται ὁ μῦς· ἢ παρὰ τὸ μαστεύειν τι ὑπ’ αὐτήν· ἐπειδὴ ἀφαιρούμενοί τι ἐξ ἄλλων κρύπτομεν); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 574 (Μασχάλη: Παρὰ τὸ κεχαλᾶσθαι εἰς μαστὸν, ἢ εἰς ἣν χαλᾶται ὁ μῦς· ἢ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀλέας τῆς διὰ τὴν καμπὴν τοῦ σώματος· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ μαστεύειν τι ὑπ’ αὐτὴν, ἐπειδὴ οἱ ὑφαιρούμενοι τι ὑπ’ αὐτὴν κρύπτουσιν. Ἢ ἐκ τοῦ σχῶ σχήσω σχήλη, ὡς στήσω στήλη, καὶ μεταθέσει τοῦ η εἰς α σχάλη, καὶ κατὰ μετάπλασιν τῆς ΜΑ συλλαβῆς μασχάλη)
Comment
Compositional etymology with χαλάω "to relax", as in the competing etymology μῦς / χαλάω. The first member is identified as μαστός "breast": this is a reference to the skin, which becomes "lax" next to the armpit, as opposed to its tense quality on the arm. This was observed for instance by Galen: πλησίον τῆς μασχάλης, ἐν ταύτῃ γὰρ ἀεὶ χαλαρόν ἐστι "near the arm-pit, because there <the skin> is always lax" (In Hippocratis librum de articulis et Galeni in eux commentary iv, Littré vol. 18a, p. 577). The armpit is the place where the skin is lax, it is not lax itself (metonymical etymology). The etymology retains only the initial syllable of the etymon, [mas], and drops the second syllable. It is not clear whether this etymology comes from Soranus or not: it probably does, and the most likely hypothesis is that Soranus mentioned both the etymology μαστός + χαλάω and μῦς + χαλάω.