ἑλίσσω
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
λἰς
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
lis
English translation (word)
lion
Transliteration (Etymon)
helissō
English translation (etymon)
to roll
Century
11 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Etymologica nominum 322
Ed.
R. Reitzenstein, M. Terentius Varro und Johannes Mauropus von Euchaita: eine Studie zur Geschichte der Sprachwissenschaft, Leipzig: Teubner, 1901
Quotation
Ὁ δ’ αὖ λέων λάων τις, ὡς μέγα βλέπων. | οὐρὰν δ’ ἑλίσσων λὶς ἑὴν ὁρμᾷ βίαν.
Translation (En)
And the lion is a seeing animal, as he has a good sight, and when he rolls (helissōn) its tail the lion (lis) excites his own strength
Parallels
There is no parallel
Modern etymology
Probably a loanword, maybe of Semitic origin. The Greek word has then been borrowed in many IE languages (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
Yes, as a learned word: 1. in phrases designating "famous" lions and 2. metaphorically, to denote a brave man. It also survives as the name of the constellation. The usual word is the derivative λιοντάρι
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
The poetic word for "lion", λίς, receives a different etymology from the normal one λἐων. For the latter, Mauropus provides a standard etymology, already attested in Hellenistic times (see λέων / λάω), but for λίς he gives an etymology not found anywhere else. It is a derivational descriptive etymology, the lion is etymologized from the verb "to roll" because of the alleged position of its tail. The etymology requires only one formal change, the loss of the initial vowel.