κυέω + ὠφέλιμος
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
κεφαλή
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
kephalē
English translation (word)
head
Transliteration (Etymon)
kueō + ōphelimos
English translation (etymon)
to be pregnant + helpful
Century
11 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 317
Ed.
F. Sturz, Etymologicum Graecae linguae Gudianum et alia grammaticorum scripta e codicibus manuscriptis nunc primum edita, Leipzig: Weigel, 1818
Quotation
Κεφαλὴ, παρὰ τὸ κύειν αὐτὴν τὰ ὠφέλιμα· ἤγουν τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ ἔχειν τὰ ὠφελοῦντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον αἰσθητήρια.
Translation (En)
Kephalē "head", from the fact it is pregnant (kuein) with the helpful (ōphelima) things, that is, it holds in itself the organs of the senses, helpful for man
Parallels
There is no parallel
Modern etymology
Isolated within Greek. Cognate with OHG gebal "skull", Goth. gibla "face", Toch. A śpāl "head" (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
Yes
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Compositional etymology which does not appear anywhere else. It is probably based on a specific phrase in a poetic work, now lost, because the metaphor of the pregnant head is more likely to be found in poetry than in prose. The etymology appears to keep the consonants of the assumed etymons but to drop or change the vowels.