μήτηρ

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Mon, 08/22/2022 - 10:35

Word-form

μήτρα

Transliteration (Word)

mētra

English translation (word)

womb

Transliteration (Etymon)

mētēr

English translation (etymon)

mother

Author

Soranus of Ephesus

Century

1-2 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Gynaeciorum libri iv 1.6.1

Ed.

J. Ilberg, Sorani Gynaeciorum libri iv, de signis fracturarum, de fasciis, vita Hippocratis secundum Soranum [Corpus medicorum Graecorum 4. Leipzig: Teubner, 1927

Quotation

Ἡ μήτρα καὶ ὑστέρα λέγεται καὶ δελφύς· μήτρα μὲν οὖν, ὅτι μήτηρ ἐστὶ πάντων τῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς γεννωμένων ἐμβρύων, ἢ ὅτι τὰς ἐχούσας αὐτὴν μητέρας ποιεῖ, κατὰ δέ τινας, ὅτι μέτρον ἔχει χρόνου πρὸς κάθαρσιν καὶ ἀπότεξιν·

Translation (En)

The womb is called mētra and also hustera and delphus: mētra "matrix", because it is the mother (mētēr) of all the newborn babies to which it gives birth, or because those who are provided with it become mothers; but according to some, because it has a measure (metron) of time for purification and childbirth.

Comment

Derivational etymology, correct by modern standards. The womb is the mother's organ. The etymology is older than Soranus. Soranus reports that two semantic justifications were provided. The first one is metaphoric (the womb is metaphorically the "mother" of every mammal), the other one is final (the womb makes the female fit for motherhood).

Parallels

Ps.-Galenus, Definitiones medicae, vol. 19, p. 362 (καὶ μήτρα μὲν λέγεται διὰ τὸ εἶναι μητέρα πάντων τῶν βρεφῶν); Athenaeus, Deipn. 3.51 (Μήτρα ἑξῆς ἐπεισηνέχθη, μητρόπολίς τις ὡς ἀληθῶς οὖσα καὶ μήτηρ τῶν Ἱπποκράτους υἱῶν); Orion, Etymologicum, mu, p. 99 (Μήτρα. ὅτι μήτηρ ἐστὶ τοῦ γεννωμένου, ὡς πατὴρ πάτρα κατὰ μετάθεσιν τοῦ ρ, καὶ μήτηρ μήτρα); Aëtius, Iatricorum liber xvi 1.1 (Ἡ μήτρα λέγεται καὶ ὑστέρα, μήτρα μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ μητέρα ταύτην πάντων τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ γενομένων ζῴων εἶναι, ὑστέρα δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑστέραν πάντων κεῖσθαι τῶν σπλάγχνων); Stephanus, In Hippocratis aphorismos commentaria V 36 (μήτρα μὲν λέγεται ὡς μήτηρ οὖσα πάντων τῶν γεννωμένων); Joannes, Commentarius in Hippocratis librum vi epidemiarum 2 (μήτρα δὲ καλεῖται οἷον μήτηρ τις οὖσα τοῦ ἐμβρύου); Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 8 (ἡ δὲ μήτρα παρὰ τὸ μήτηρ εἶναι τοῦ γεννωμένου); Leo Medicus, De natura hominum synopsis 1 (πόθεν μήτρα; παρὰ τὸ μήτηρ εἶναι τοῦ γεννωμένου); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, lambda 34 (s.v. λίμνη) (ὡς γὰρ παρὰ τὸ πατήρ πάτρη, μήτηρ μήτρη, ποιμήν ποίμνη, οὕτως λιμήν λίμνη); Etym. Gudianum, mu, p. 394 (Μήτρα, παρὰ τὸ μήτηρ, μητέρος, μητέρα καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν μήτρα); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 2, 400 Van der Valk (ὥσπερ ἀπὸ αἰτιατικῆς τοῦ πατέρα, μητέρα, γαστέρα γίνονται εὐθεῖαι πάτρα, μήτρα, γάστρα, οὕτω καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ φρίξ φρικός φρίκα παρὰ τοῖς ὕστερον ἡ φρίκα); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 170 (s.v. αὔρα) (Ἢ ἀὴρ, αὐήρ· καὶ κατὰ τροπὴν τοῦ η εἰς α, ὡς μήτηρ, μήτρα, <αὔρα>); ibid., p. 434 (Ὡς γὰρ πατὴρ πάτρα, καὶ μήτηρ μήτρα, οὕτως ἀὴρ, καὶ καθ’ ὑπέρθεσιν ἥρα); ibid., p. 584 (Μήτρα: Παρὰ τὸ μήτηρ μήτερος μήτερα· καὶ συγκοπῇ μήτρα, ὅτι μήτηρ ἐστὶ τοῦ γεννωμένου. Ὡς πατὴρ πάτρα κατὰ μετάθεσιν τοῦ ρ, καὶ μήτηρ μήτρα); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, eta, p. 1004 (Ἥρα. ὄνομα θεᾶς, ὅτι ἡ αὐτὴ τῷ ἀέρι ἐστίν. ὡς γὰρ πατὴρ πάτρα, καὶ μήτηρ μήτρα, οὕτως ἀὴρ ἥρα, καθ’ ὑπερβιβασμόν); ibid., p. 1358 (Μήτρα. ἐπειδὴ μήτηρ ἐστὶ τοῦ γεννωμένου. ὡς παρὰ τὸ πατὴρ πάτρα, οὕτω καὶ παρὰ τὸ μήτηρ μήτρα)

Modern etymology

Derived from μήτηρ

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has μήτρα "womb"

Entry By

Le Feuvre