χιλός
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 etymology relying on the near homonymy of χεῖλος χιλός in a ioticizing pronunciation. χιλός appears often as χειλός in manuscripts and both words have the same accent in the genitive plural (χειλῶν). The lips are etymologized after the food they touch. Alternatively, this could be a compositional etymology χιλός + λαμβἀνω, but λαμβάνω is not necessary for the formal etymology – it is for meaning, and is provided in the explanation, but that does not imply it was assumed as an etymon. The etymology is reversible (see χιλός / χεῖλος)