πέτομαι + στερρός1
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Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Ed.
Quotation
καὶ περιστερὰ διὰ τοῦτο λέγεται, ὅτι πέτεται στεῤῥῶς
Translation (En)
And the dove (peristera) is thus called because it flies (petetai) stiffly (sterrôs)
Parallels
Anastasius Sin., Viae dux 2.28 (ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ πέτασθαι στεῤῥὰ εἴρηται περιστερά); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 150 (περιστερά. παρὰ τὸ περισσῶς ἐρᾶν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ στερρῶς πέτεσθαι); Etym. Gudianum, pi, p. 462 (Περιστερὰ, ἢ διὰ τὸ πέτεσθαι στεῤῥῶς, ἢ διὰ τὸ πέτεσθαι ῥᾷον· ἢ διὰ τὸ περιστατικὸν τοῦ ἐρᾶσθαι· ἢ αἴρεσθαι τὰ νοσσία ἑαυτῆς); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 664 (Περιστερά: Παρὰ τὸ πέτεσθαι στερρῶς· ἢ παρὰ τὸ περισσῶς ἐρᾶν· θερμόταται γὰρ κατὰ συνουσίαν εἰσί· διὸ καὶ τῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ ἀνάκεινται· καὶ πολλάκις τίκτουσιν ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ, τῶν ἄλλων ὀρνέων μὴ ποιούντων τοῦτο); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, epsilon, p. 1727 (ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ πέτεσθαι στεῤῥὰ εἴρηται περιστερά)
Comment
Compositional descriptive etymology referring to the flight of the bird. It was probably designed at a time when geminate consonants were lost, so that the /rr/ of στερρός could match the simple /r/ of περιστερά without requiring a pathos