κίων

Validation

No

Last modification

Wed, 12/21/2022 - 11:30

Word-form

κιονίδα

Transliteration (Word)

kionis

English translation (word)

uvula

Transliteration (Etymon)

kiōn

English translation (etymon)

pillar

Author

Soranus of Ephesus

Century

2 AD

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, kappa, p. 82

Ed.

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

Quotation

Κιονίς. ἥτις λέγεται καὶ γαργαρεὼν παρὰ τῷ Ἱπποκράτει, διὰ τὸν γινόμενον περὶ αὐτὸν ἦχον ἐν τῷ γαργα<ρ>ίζεσθαι. οἱ δὲ σταφυλὴν, ἀπὸ τοῦ συνεχῶς καταστάζεσθαι. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ τὸ ἄκρον αὐτῆς φαίνεσθαι ὅμοιον ῥαγί. κιονὶς δὲ ἤτοι παρὰ τὴν χύσιν τῶν ὑγρῶν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ κίονος ἔχειν τύπον καθ’ ἑαυτὴν οὖσαν ἐπιμήκη. οὕτω Σωρανός   [Orion has γαργαλίζεσθαι, the correct form is preserved in Meletius and the Et. Magnum]

Translation (En)

Kionis "uvula", also called gargareōn by Hippocrates because of the sound it produces when we gargle. Others call it "grape" (staphulē) because it is consistently dripping. Or from the fact that its end looks like grape. And kionis, because of the pouring of the wet matter, or from the fact it has the shape of a pillar (kionos), being oblong itself. This is what Soranus says

Comment

Correct etymology: the word is a derivative of κίων "pillar" because of its shape. The name relies on a metaphor

Parallels

Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 83 (Ὁ δὲ γαργαρεὼν κιονὶς καὶ σταφυλὴ λέγεται παρὰ τῶν ἰατρῶν· γαργαρεὼν μὲν, διὰ τὸν γινόμενον περὶ αὐτὸν ἦχον ἐν τῷ γαργαρίζεσθαι· σταφυλὴ δὲ, ἀπὸ τοῦ συνεχῶς καταστάζεσθαι· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ τὸ ἄκρον αὐτῆς φαίνεσθαι ὅμοιον ῥαγί· χιονὶς δὲ, ἢ παρὰ τὴν χύσιν τῶν ὑγρῶν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ κίονος ἔχειν τύπον, καθ’ ἑαυτὴν οὖσαν ἐπιμήκη); Leo Medicus, De natura hominum synopsis 53 (κιονὶς δὲ ἢ παρὰ τὴν τῶν ὑγρῶν χύσιν ἢ παρὰ τὸ κίονος ἔχειν τύπον); Suda, kappa 1656 (Κιονίς: μικρὰ κίων); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 514 (Κιονίς: Ἥτις λέγεται καὶ γαργαρεὼν παρ’ Ἱπποκράτῃ, παρὰ τὸν γινόμενον περὶ αὐτὸν ἦχον ἐν τῷ ἀναγαργαρίζειν· οἱ δὲ, σταφυλὴν, ἀπὸ τοῦ συνεχῶς καταστάζεσθαι. Κιονὶς δὲ εἴρηται ἢ παρὰ τὴν χύσιν τῶν ὑγρῶν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ κίονος ἔχειν τύπον καθ’ ἑαυτὴν οὖσαν ἐπιμήκη); Schol. Nicandri Ther. 246a (κίονά τε· ἤγουν τὸν τράχηλον, ἐπειδὴ τρόπον κίονος ὑποβαστάζει τὴν κεφαλήν· οἱ δὲ τὴν γαργαρεῶνα· οἱ δὲ τὴν λεγομένην κιονίδα, οἱ δὲ σταφυλήν <διὰ τὸ κινεῖσθαι ἔν τε ταῖς φωναῖς καὶ ταῖς καταπόσεσι V>. κίων δὲ διὰ τὸ κεῖσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ κάτω μέρους τοῦ στομάχου μέχρι τοῦ ἄνω).

The etymology is implicit in Aretaeus, De causis et signis acutorum morpborum libri duo 1.8 (Περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν κιονίδα παθῶν. Τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπερώης ἐκκρεμὲς σῶμα στερρὸν μεσηγὺ τῶν παρισθμίων κίων καὶ γαργαρεὼν καλέεται); Galen, De compositione medicamentorum secundum locos, Kühn, vol. 12, p. 959 (τοῦτο τὸ σαρκίον ὀνομάζεται δύο ὀνόμασι πρὸς τῶν παλαιῶν Ἑλλήνων, γαργαρεών τε καὶ κίων, οἱ δὲ μετὰ τούτους ἰατροὶ σχεδὸν ἅπαντες οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ κιονίδα καλοῦσιν αὐτό); Pollux, Onomasticon 2.99 (τὸ δὲ ἐνδοτάτω κατηρτημένον ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπερῴας κίων καὶ κιονίς, περὶ ὃ σχίζεται τὸ ἀθρόον τοῦ ποτοῦ τε καὶ τῆς τροφῆς, ὡς μὴ καταπνιγοίμεθα τῷ δαψιλεῖ τῆς ἐπιρροῆς. ὑπ’ ἐνίων δὲ τοῦτο καὶ χόνδρος ἐκλήθη καὶ γαργαρεών)

Modern etymology

Derivative of κίων "pillar"

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre