κάρα + ὀροφή

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Thu, 11/03/2022 - 21:30

Word-form

κορυφή

Transliteration (Word)

koruphē

English translation (word)

head, top

Transliteration (Etymon)

kara + orophē

English translation (etymon)

head + roof

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, kappa, p. 82

Ed.

F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820

Quotation

Κορυφή. τὸ μέσον τῆς κεφαλῆς. ὅτι τοῦ κ<ά>ρατος ὀροφή. οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ κεκρύφθαι ὑπὸ τῆς τριχός. κρυφή καὶ κορυφή

Translation (En)

Koruphē "top", the middle of the head, because it is the roof (orophē) of the head (karatos). But others say it comes from the fact it is hidden (kekruphthai) by hair, *kruphē, and koruphē. [Orion's main manuscrit has κέρατος ὀροφή: κάρατος is preserved in the Excerpta and the Byzantine Etymologica]

Comment

Compositional etymology in which κάρα provides the initial [k]. The compound is of a regular type noun + genitive, with the head of the compound, ὀροφή, at the end. It implies a change of [o] to [u], which Greek scholars usually ascribe to Aeolic. The etymology is semantically straightforward 

Parallels

Orion, Etymologicum (Excerpta e cod. Darmstadino 2773), kappa, p. 614 (κορυφὴ, ὅτι καράτος ἐστὶν ὀροφὴ, τὸ μέσον τῆς κεφαλῆς); Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 54 (τὸ δὲ μέσον κορυφὴ, ὅτι τοῦ κάρα ἐστὶν ὀροφή); Leo Medicus, De natura hominum synopsis 28 (τὸ δὲ μέσον κορυφή, ὅτι τῆς κάρας ἐστὶν ὀροφή); Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.499 (κορυφή: κυρίως λέγεται τὸ μεσότοιχον τῆς κεφαλῆς, ὅτι τοῦ κάρα ἐστὶν ὀροφή. τινὲς δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ κεκρύφθαι ὑπὸ τὰς τρίχας, γίνεται κρυφή καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ο κορυφή); Joannes Mauropus, Etymologica nominum 158 (κάρας δ’ ὀροφὴν τὴν κορυφήν μοι νόει); Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 339 (Κορυφὴ, τὸ μέσον τῆς κεφαλῆς, ὅτι τῆς κάρας ἔστιν ὀροφή· τινὲς δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ κεκρύφθαι αὐτὴν ὑπὸ τῶν τρίχων, κρύφή τις οὖσα· καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ο, κορυφή· ὁ δὲ Φιλόξενος ἐν τῷ περὶ διαλέκτων λέγει, ὅτι παρὰ τὸ κάρη γέγονε καρύπτω καὶ κρύπτω, μεταθέσει τοῦ α εἰς ο· ὡς παρὰ Θεοκρίτῳ· τὸν Λιβυκὸν κνάκωνα φυλάσσεο, μή τυ κορύψῃ· ἐκ τοῦ οὖν κορύπτω γέγονεν ὄνομα ῥηματικὸν κορυφή); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 531 (Κορυφή: Τὸ μέσον τῆς κεφαλῆς, ὅτι τῆς κάρας ἐστὶν ὀροφὴ, ἤγουν σκεπασμὸς τῆς κεφαλῆς. Ἢ   ἀπὸ τοῦ κρύπτω, κρύψω, κέκρυφα, κρυφὴ καὶ κορυφὴ, παρὰ τὸ κρύπτεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν τριχῶν. Φιλόξενος δὲ ἐν τῷ περὶ Ἰάδος διαλέκτου λέγει, ὅτι παρὰ τὸ κάρη γίνεται καρύπτω καὶ κορύπτω· ἐκ τούτου κορυφή); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, kappa, p. 1237 (Κορυφή. τὸ μέσον τῆς κεφαλῆς. παρὰ τὸ τῆς κάρας κορυφὴν εἶναι. ἢ παρὰ τὸ κεκρύφθαι αὐτὴν ὑπὸ τῶν τριχῶν, κρυφὴ τὶς οὖσα, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ο κορυφή. κορυφὴ καὶ τὸ ἄκρον τοῦ ὄρους)

Modern etymology

Derivative of the name of "head", κάρα, with the same u-stem as in κόρυς "helmet" (despite Beekes, EDG, who thinks it is Pre-Greek)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has κορυφή as a learned word

Entry By

Le Feuvre