βλέπω + φᾶρος
Word
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Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Ed.
Quotation
Βλέφαρα, ὅτι τὸ βλέπειν ἐστὶ φάρη. ἢ παρὰ τὸ αἴρεσθαι αὐτὰ ἐν τῷ βλέπειν
Translation (En)
Blephara "eyelid": because they are the cloaks (phārē) of sight (to blepein). Or from the fact that we lift them (airesthai) when we look.
Parallels
Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos p. 120 (παρὰ τὸ βλέμματος φάρος εἶναι, ἢ παρὰ τὸ αἴρεσθαι ἐν τῷ βλέπειν); ibid., p. 182 (τὸ βλέφαρον παρὰ τὸ βλέμματος φάρος εἶναι, ὅτι ἐπαιρομένων αὐτῶν βλέπομεν· ἢ τοῦ βλέπους φάρος); Etym. Genuinum, beta 138 (Βλέφαρον· τοῦ βλέποντος φάρος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐν τῷ βλέπειν αἴρεσθαι); Etym. Gudianum, beta, p. 138 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, beta, p. 272-273 (Βλέφαρα· ὅτι τοῦ βλέπους ἐστὶ φάρη, ἢ παρὰ τὸ αἴρεσθαι αὐτὰ ἐν τῷ βλέπειν […] διότι αἰρουμένου αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω βλέπομεν, οἱονεὶ βλεπέαρον, ἆρον καὶ βλέπε[ις] […] Βλέφαρον· παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν καὶ βλέπειν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸ φάρος τοῦ βλέμματος ἤγουν ἱμάτιον […] Βλέφαρα· παρὰ τὸ βλέμματος φάρος εἶναι· ἢ παρὰ τὸ αἴρεσθαι ἐν τῷ βλέπειν, οἱονεὶ βλέπαρα ὄντα, κατὰ ἀντίστοιχον. ‖ παρὰ τὸ τοῦ βλέμματος φάρος εἶναι ἤγουν ἱμάτιον); Joannes Mauropus, Etymologica nominum 165 (τὸ βλέφαρον δὲ βλέμματος φάρος τίθει); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 199 (Βλέφαρον: Τοῦ βλέποντος φάρος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ αἴρεσθαι ἐν τῷ βλέπειν· αἰρομένων γὰρ αὐτῶν ἡμεῖς βλέπομεν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ βάλλειν τοὺς ὦπας); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1 p. 446 (βλέφαρον· τοῦ βλέποντος αἴρεσθαι); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, beta p. 393 (Βλέφαρον. τοῦ βλέποντος φάρος. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐν τῷ βλέπειν αἴρεσθαι); Commentaria in Dionysii Thracis Artem grammaticam p. 14-15 (ὅτι διὰ τοῦτο λέγεται βλέφαρον, διότι αἰρομένου αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω βλέπομεν, οἱονεὶ βλεπέαρον, ἆρον καὶ βλέπε· ἢ μηδὲ τρέψας τι, διαστείλας δὲ μόνον τὴν λέξιν, εὗρον ὅτι ὡσανεὶ φᾶρος, ὅπερ περιβόλαιόν ἐστι, τοῦ βλέμματος ἡμῶν); Commentaria in Dionysii Thracis Artem grammaticam, scholia Londiniensia p. 471 (καὶ βλέφαρον παρὰ τὸ αἰρομένου αὐτοῦ βλέπειν βλέπαρον καὶ βλέφαρον, ἢ παρὰ τὸ φᾶρος εἶναι τοῦ βλέμματος); Scholia in Oppianum, Hal. 1.70 (Βλεφάροισι· ὄμμασιν. βλέφαρον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐν τῷ βλέπειν αἴρεσθαι. βλεφάροισιν· ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ φάρους τοῦ βλέπους ἤτοι τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ, ἢ ἐν τῷ βλέπειν αἴρεσθαι); ibid. 2,5 (βλέφαρον παρὰ τὸ φάρος εἶναι τοῦ βλέπους, ἤτοι τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ· βλὲψ γὰρ ὁ ὀφθαλμός)
Comment
The word is parsed as a head-final N-N compound "cloak of the sight", as μητροπάτωρ "father of the mother". This relies on an image similar to that of Engl. eyelid. The etymologists did not seem to notice that φᾶρος has a long [ā] whereas βλέφαρον has a short [ă], which may suggest that this etymology dates back to a time when distinctive vowel quantity was lost. The Etym. Magnum erroneously refers to βλέφαρον an etymological explanation which is in fact that of the etymon βλέπω (see βλέπω / βάλλω + ὤψ).