ἅλλομαι

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Fri, 12/23/2022 - 12:10

Word-form

ἀλτηρία

Transliteration (Word)

artēria

English translation (word)

artery

Transliteration (Etymon)

hallomai

English translation (etymon)

to leap, to spring

Author

Soranus of Ephesus

Century

2 AD

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum Genuinum, alpha 1243

Ed.

F. Lasserre and N. Livadaras, Etymologicum magnum genuinum. Symeonis etymologicum una cum magna grammatica. Etymologicum magnum auctum, vol. 1, Rome: Ateneo, 1976

Quotation

Ἀρτηρία […] εἴρηται δὲ παρὰ <τὸ> τὸν ἀέρα τηρεῖν, τουτέστιν τὸ πνεῦμα, ἀεροτηρία τις οὖσα· πνεύματος γάρ ἐστι δεκτική, ὥσπερ ἡ φλὲψ αἵματος. οὕτως Δίδυμος ὁ νεώτερος (cf. p. 2, 24 Schmidt)· φασὶ γὰρ ἰατρῶν παῖδες φλέβα μὲν αἵματος, ἀρτηρία δὲ πνεύματος ἀγγεῖον. ἢ † ἀντηρία τις οὖσα, ὅτι ἅλλεσθαι δοκεῖ παλμοὺς ποιοῦσα. οὕτως Σωρανός

Translation (En)

Artēria "artery" […] is called after the fact it keeps the air, that is, the breath, an *aerotēria, as it were. Because it receives the breath, as the vein receives the blood. This is what Didymus the younger says. And the physicians' servants say the vein is the vessel of blood whereas the artery is that of breath. Or an *antēria, as it were, because it seems to leap up (hallesthai) because of the pulse. This is what Soranus says.

Comment

Derivational etymology relying on a dissimilated form ἀλτηρία instead of ἀρτηρία. This form is attested in Artemidorus (Onirocriticon 1.57: διὰ τὰ πηδήματα τὰ ἐν τῇ ἁλτηρίᾳ). The variant then received a different etymology to account for it. As the arteries were thought to contain breath, but the pulse had been identified by physicians: this leads to the etymology of the artery as the "bouncing, leaping one" (hence in some sources the rough breathing ἁλτηρία). The spelling ἀντηρία in the Genuinum is a secondary form of ἀλτηρία, correctly preserved in the Gudianum

Parallels

Orion, Etymologicum, alpha, p. 17 (Ἀρτηρία, οἷον ἀεροτηρία, ἀπὸ τοῦ περιέχειν τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τηρεῖν. δύναται καὶ κατὰ μετάθεσιν τοῦ λ εἰς ρ, οἷον ἀλτηρία παρὰ τὴν ἄλσιν); idem, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Darmstadino 2773), p. 612 (ἀρτηρία. ἤγουν ἀεροτηρία τὶς οὖσα παρὰ τὸ ἔχειν τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τηρεῖν); Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 81 (καὶ ἀρτηρία μὲν, οἷον, ἀεροτηρία, ἀπὸ τοῦ περιέχειν καὶ τηρεῖν τὸ πνεῦμα· ἁλτηρία δὲ, παρὰ τὸ ἅλλεσθαι· ἡ ἀεὶ ἁλλομένη καὶ πηδῶσα); Leo Medicus, De natura hominum synopsis 50 (ἀρτηρία δὲ λέγεται ἐκ τοῦ τηρεῖν τὸν ἀέρα, ἀερωτηρ<ία>); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 208 (Ἀρτηρία· οἷον ἀεροτηρία τις οὖσα, ἐν ᾗ ὁ ἀὴρ τηρεῖται· πνεύματος γάρ ἐστι δεκτική, ὥσπερ ἡ φλὲψ αἵματος. οὕτω Δίδυμος ὁ νεώτερος· φασὶ γὰρ ἰατρῶν παῖδες φλέβα μὲν αἵματος, ἀρτηρίαν δὲ πνεύματος ἀγγεῖον. ἢ ἁλτηρία τις οὖσα, ὅτι ἅλλεσθαι δοκεῖ παλμοὺς ποιοῦσα. οὕτω Σωρανός. | Ἀρτηρία· οἷον ἀ<ε>ρ<ο>τηρία ἀπὸ τοῦ περιέχειν τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τηρεῖν. δύναται καὶ κατὰ μετάθεσιν τοῦ λ εἰς ρ, οἷον ἁλτηρία, παρὰ τὴν ἅλσιν); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 150 (Ἀρτηρία: Παρὰ τὸ τὸν ἀέρα (τουτέστι τὸ πνεῦμα) τηρεῖν, ἀεροτηρία τις οὖσα· πνεύματος γὰρ   ἐστὶ δεκτικὴ, ὥσπερ ἡ φλὲψ αἵματος· ἀρτηρία δὲ πνεύματος ἀγγεῖον. Ἢ ἁλτηρία τὶς οὖσα· ὅτι ἅλλεσθαι δοκεῖ, παλμοὺς ποιοῦσα)

Modern etymology

Derivative of ἀείρω "to bind", like ἀορτή, ἀρτάω (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Yes

Entry By

Le Feuvre