εἴσειμι
Word
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Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
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Ed.
Quotation
ἐπίσιον τὸ ἐφήβαιον· διὰ τοῦ ι τὰ δύο. ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ τὰ σία τὰ ξηρά. ξηρὸν γάρ ἐστιν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἰσιέναι ἐπείσιον (sic scribendum propter etymon, legitur ap. Lycophr. 1385), σημαίνει δὲ τὸ αἰδοῖον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ τοῦ (sic) γυναικός. γράφεται δὲ καὶ ἐπίσειον.
Translation (En)
Epision : the pubic region. Both syllables with iota, because it comes from sia ("water parsnip"), which are dry, since <the pubic region> is dry. Or it should be spelled epeision, from eisienai ("to go into"). It means the privy parts of the man and the woman. It can also be written episeion.
Parallels
Choeroboscus, De orthographia (epitome), p. 200, 6 (Ἐπίσιον: Διὰ τοῦ ι τὰ δύο· σημαίνει τὰ ξηρά· γέγονεν ἐπίσιον· καὶ ἄλλα παρὰ τὸ εἰσιέναι ἐστίν); Etym. Gen., Vat. gr. 1818, f. 128r, ll. 2-3 (Ἐπίσιον· ση<μαίνει> τὸ ἐφήβαιον παρὰ τὸ εἰσιέναι. λέγεται αὐτὸ καὶ γρ<άφεται> διὰ τῆς ει διφθόγγου); Etym. Gudianum, epsilon, p. 508, ll. 21-22 (⟦Ἐπίσιον· διὰ τοῦ ι τὰ⟧ δύο· καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ ⟦τοῦ πάσιον⟧ τοῦ σημαίνοντος τὸ ξηρὸν γέγονεν ἐπίσιον. καὶ ἄλλως· παρὰ τὸ εἰσιέν⟧αι ⟦ἐστίν⟧) ; idem, p. 508, ll. 23-26 (Ἐπίσιον· τὰ δύο διὰ τοῦ ι. περὶ δὲ τοῦ ⟦τα⟧σία ⟦ὁ λ⟧όγος. σημαίνει δὲ τὸ ἐφήβαιον· καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ τὰ σία τοῦ σημαίνοντος τὰ ξηρὰ γέγονεν ἐπίσιον· καὶ γὰρ τὸ ἐφήβαιον ξηρότερόν ἐστι. τινὲς δὲ διὰ τῆς ει γράφοντες λέγουσιν ὅτι παρ<ὰ τ>ὸ εἰσιέναι) ; EM, Kallierges, p. 363, l. 57 - p. 364, l. 2 (Ἐπίσιον: Τὸ ἐφήβαιον· ἀπὸ τοῦ τὰ σία τὰ ξηρά· ξηρὸν γὰρ ἐστίν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἰσιέναι, ἐπείσιον. Σημαίνει δὲ καὶ τὸ αἰδοῖον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ τῆς γυναικός.) ; Etym. Symeonis, epsilon 670 (Ἐπίσειον: Τὸ ἐφήβαιον· ἀπὸ τοῦ τὰ σία τὰ ξηρά· ξηρὸν γὰρ ἐστίν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἰσιέναι, ἐπείσιον. Σημαίνει δὲ καὶ τὸ αἰδοῖον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ τῆς γυναικός.).
Comment
The word is etymologized as a participle of ἐπεισέρχομαι / ἐπείσειμι "to go into". This is clearly a folk etymology referring to the phallus, and applied by metonymy to the pubis. It explains the alternative spelling ἐπείσιον: in a iotacizing pronunciation, ει could stand for ι and this spelling is a remotivation of the word. Adapting the spelling of words to their alleged etymology was commonplace in Antiquity. The third spelling mentioned, ἐπίσειον, also relying on iotacism, may hint at another etymology by ἐπισείω "to shake" (with the obscene meaning of the verb).