σίον
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
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
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).
Bibliography
Henderson (The maculate Muse. Obscene language in Attic comedy, 1975, p. 144) suspects ἐπισέλινον to mean "the female organ" (Pl. Com. 174.10): the formation would be similar (the obscene meaning of σέλινον is well attested; hints to such a meaning for σίον in Athenaeus II.61c: Σία γὰρ μετὰ σελίνου φύεσθαι; ibid, III.74: Διοκλῆς δʼ ὁ Καρύστιος τὸν σικυόν φησι μετὰ σίων ἐν πρώτοις λαμβανόμενον ἐνοχλεῖν). σέλινον and σίον are plants presenting similarities and could easily be assimilated one to another
Comment
The word is parsed as a compound matching a syntagm ἐπὶ σίῳ "above the σίον" or, which may be better, of the type ἐπίχρυσος "having gold on it", that is "having σίον on it", σίον being a metaphor for the pubic hair. This etymology does not require any formal change. The length of the vowel (ἐπῑ́σιον) was no longer phonological when the etymology was designed, and is therefore not taken into account.