πήγνυμι

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Last modification

Fri, 11/11/2022 - 13:30

Word-form

πώγων

Transliteration (Word)

pōgōn

English translation (word)

beard

Transliteration (Etymon)

pēgnumi

English translation (etymon)

to fix in

Author

Apollodorus of Athens

Century

2 BC

Reference

fr. 233

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, pi, p. 129

Ed.

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

Quotation

Πώγων. ὥσπερ Ἀπολλόδωρος, ὅτι πῆξιν ἡλικίας σημαίνει. ὡς δὲ ἄλλοι, ὅτι ἐπὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν <ἄ>γει· ἱκανοὶ γὰρ οἱ γενιῶντες πρὸς τὸ λέγειν. Σωρανός  [Orion's main manuscript has λέγει instead of ἄγει, restored from other sources]

Translation (En)

Pōgōn "beard". As Apollodorus says, because it is the sign that adulthood is fixed (pēxin). But as others say, it is because it leads (agei) to speech (eipein), because those who have a beard are able to speak <publicly>. Soranus

Comment

Dervational etymology relying on the alternation ω ~ η. The beard is either supposed to be fixed into the chin or to signal that the young man is now an adult (Orion), or to refer to the fact that the speaker in an assembly cannot be moved from his place (Et. Gudianum)

Parallels

referring to age: Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 76 (Ὁ δὲ πώγων λέγεται καὶ ὑπήνη· πώγων μὲν, ὅτι πῆξιν ἡλικίας τοῖς ἀρχομένοις δηλοῖ ἐν τῇ τῶν ἰούλων ἐκφύσει); Leo Medicus, De natura hominum synopsis 48 (idem); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 698 (Πώγων: Ὡς μὲν Ἀπολλόδωρος, ὅτι πῆξιν ἡλικίας σημαίνει· ὡς δὲ ἄλλοι, ὅτι ἐπὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν ἄγει· ἱκανοὶ γὰρ ἤδη οἱ γενειῶντες πρὸς τὸ λέγειν. Παρὰ τὸ πήσσω οὖν, πήξω πέπηγα, πήγων, καὶ πώγων, ὁ πεπηγὼς καὶ ἑδραῖος τόπος); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, pi, p. 1600 (Πώγων. παρὰ τὸ πήσσω, πέπηγα, πήγων καὶ πώγων, ὁ πεπηγὼς καὶ ἑδραῖος τόπος)

referring to the speaker: Etym. Gudianum, pi, p. 488 (Πώγων, παρὰ τὸ ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν ἄγεσθαι· ἢ παρὰ τὸ πήσσω τὸ πηγνύω πήγων καὶ πώγων, ὁ ἐν τῷ εἰπεῖν ἑδραῖος καὶ ἀμετακίνητος ὤν)

Modern etymology

Unknown (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has πώγωνας as a learned word

Entry By

Le Feuvre