κυέω + ὠφέλιμος

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No

Last modification

Mon, 10/24/2022 - 19:00

Word-form

κεφαλή

Transliteration (Word)

kephalē

English translation (word)

head

Transliteration (Etymon)

kueō + ōphelimos

English translation (etymon)

to be pregnant + helpful

Author

Etym. Gudianum

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

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.

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