μαστεύω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
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 (khalâtai), 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
Derivational etymology. The assumed etymon is μαστεύω "to seek", which has a remote phonetic resemblance with the lemma μασχάλη (it implies a change of [t] to [kh] which is not commented upon). The semantic connection is just as loose: thieves were suspected to hide their theft under the arm, therefore one has to search for small objects under the armpit. A derivation of the word for "armpit" from a word meaning "to hide" (assuming that the thief hides under his own armpit) would be far-fetched but understandable by Greek criteria: a derivation from "to seek", which implies that the subject looks under the arm of another person, is much more difficult but Heraclides does not seem to have been aware of that.