λευκός

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Last modification

Mon, 10/31/2022 - 09:00

Word-form

λευκανίη

Transliteration (Word)

laukaniē

English translation (word)

throat

Transliteration (Etymon)

leukos

English translation (etymon)

bright, white

Author

Etym. Gudianum

Century

11 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etym. Gudianum, lambda, p. 363

Ed.

F. Sturz, Etymologicum Graecae linguae Gudianum et alia grammaticorum scripta e codicibus manuscriptis nunc primum edita, Leipzig: Weigel, 1818

Quotation

Λαυκανία, ἡ φάρυγξ, ἡ ἀρτηρία, δι’ ἧς τὸ πνεῦμα ἔρχεται, ἀπὸ τοῦ λευκὴν εἶναι αὐτοῦ τὴν φύσιν

Translation (En)

Laukania "throat", the gullet, the trachea, through which the breath circulates, from the fact that it is by nature white (leukēn)

Comment

Derivational etymology relying on the variant reading λευκανία, which may result from a folk etymology. The "white" organ is the trachea. Other etymologies of the word refer to food (and imply that what is meant is the oesophagus), this one refers to breathing.

Parallels

Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 561-562 (λευκανία: Στόμαχος, λαιμὸς, τὸ ἀπηρτισμένον τοῦ γαργαρεῶνος· παρὰ τὸ λευκὸν εἶναι φύσει· ἢ ὅτι λίαν κέχηνεν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ χεύω χευαλία, καὶ λευκανία· καὶ διαιρεθείσης αὐτῆς, ὁ τῆς τροφῆς ἀφανίζεται πόρος); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, lambda, p. 1296 (Λευκανία. ὁ λαιμὸς, ὁ στόμαχος, ὁ βρόγχος, ἢ τὸ ἀπηρτημένον τοῦ γαργαρεῶνος. παρὰ τὸ λευκὸν εἶναι τῇ φύσει. ἢ παρὰ τὸ χεύω, χευκανία καὶ λευκανία); Scholia in Oppianum, Hal. 1.755 (λευκανίηθεν· ἀπὸ τῆς λευκάνης, ἢ στόματος· λευκάνοι οἱ ὀδόντες, καὶ λευκανίηθεν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀδόντων. λευκανίηθεν· ἀπὸ τοῦ λαιμοῦ· λευκανία γὰρ ὁ λαιμὸς, λεύκανες οἱ ὀδόντες ἀπὸ τοῦ λαύω τὸ ἀπολαύω. λευκανία ὁ λαιμὸς, καὶ τὸ ἀπηρτημένον τοῦ γαργαρεῶνος παρὰ τὸ λευκὸν εἶναι φύσει· ἢ παρὰ τὸ χεύω χευκανία καὶ λευκανία, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ λῶ τὸ ἀπολαύω, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ χαίνω τὸ χάσκω, ὡς καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴω τὸ κομίζω οἰσοφάγος· ἐνταῦθα ἀπὸ τοῦ ποιοῦντος τὸ ποιούμενον· ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ λαιμοῦ ὁ λευκὸς ἀφρὸς γίνεται)

Modern etymology

Unknown (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre