κλείω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Χείλη. τὰ θυροῦντα τὸ στόμα, καὶ οἷον ἐχίλη, τὰ καλύπτοντα καὶ συνέχοντα τοὺς ὀδόντας· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ δι’ αὐτῶν τὸν χιλὸν, τουτέστι τὴν τροφὴν λαμβάνειν· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτὰ κεχύσθαι καὶ μαλακὰ. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕλκειν τὸ κεχυμένον ποτόν.
Translation (En)
Kheilē "lips": the ones "closing" (thuroûnta) the mouth, and as though *ekhilē, the ones covering and containing the teeth. Or from the fact that we take (lambanein) the khilon, that is, food through them. Or from the fact they are lax (kekhusthai) and soft. Or from the fact that they draw (helkein) the poured (kekhumenon) drink.
Parallels
Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 76 (Τὰ δὲ ἐπικαλύπτοντα τὸ στόμα, χείλη καλοῦνται ἀπὸ τοῦ κλείω· οἱονεὶ χείλη, τὰ θυροῦντα καὶ κλείοντα τὸ στόμα καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ δι’ αὐτῶν τὸν χιλὸν λαμβάνειν· χιλὸς δὲ ἡ τροφή); Leo Medicus, De natura hominum synopsis 47 (<τ>ὰ δὲ χείλη οἷον ἐχείλη, τὰ θυροῦντα καὶ κλείοντα τὸ στόμα. ἢ ἐκ τοῦ τὸν χιλὸν λαμβάνειν· χιλὸς δὲ ἡ τροφή)
Comment
Derivational elliptic etymology relying on the idea that the lips shut the mouth like a key. The word θυρόω is a substitute for κλείω which is the real etymon. The explicit etymology is found in Meletius (see Parallels), who took it from Orion, and indicates that his version of Orion had a longer formulation in which κλείω was explicit. The etymology implies several formal changes: a metathesis of [l] and a change of [k] into [kh] (*κλείη > *κείλη > χείλη). The ghost-form *ἐχίλη provided as an intermediate step may be corrupt