θῆσαι

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No

Last modification

Tue, 02/21/2023 - 11:52

Word-form

τιθήνη

Transliteration (Word)

tithēnē

English translation (word)

nurse

Transliteration (Etymon)

thēsai

English translation (etymon)

to suckle

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

fr. 23

Edition

C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, tau, p. 152

Ed.

F.W. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig: Weigel, 1820 (repr. Hildesheim: Olms, 1973): 1-172

Quotation

Τιθήνη· [παρὰ τὸν τιτθόν, ὃ σημαίνει τὸν μαστόν, γίνεται τιτθήνη καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ ἑνὸς τ τιθήνη. οὕτω Φιλόξενος ἐν τῷ Περὶ μονοσυλλάβων ῥημάτων.] ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ παρὰ τὸ θῶ τὸ δηλοῦν τὸ τρέφω, ὁ μέλλων θήσω, ὄνομα ῥηματικὸν θήνη καὶ διπλασιασμῷ τιθήνη.

Translation (En)

Τithēnē "nurse" : [from titthos, which means "breast", are formed *titthēnē and tithēnē by dropping a t. That is what Philoxenus says in the On monosyllabic verbs.] The same [Philoxenus] also says that from *thō which means "to feed", one derives the future thēsō, the verbal noun *thēnē and by reduplication tithēnē.

Other translation(s)

Tithēnē « nourrice » : [*titthēnē est dérivé de titthos, qui signifie « mamelle », d'où tithēnē par chute du t. Voilà ce qu’écrit Philoxène dans le Des verbes monosyllabiques.] Le même [Philoxène] dit aussi que de *thō, qui signifie « nourrir », on tire le futur thēsō, le nom déverbal *thēnē et par redoublement tithēnē.

Comment

Derivational etymology starting from the future of the assumed monosyllabic verb and assuming a reduplication. The etymology is semantically correct since τιθήνη is derived from the root of θῆσαι "to breast-feed". Orion gives two etymologies, both attributed to Philoxenus, which in fact imply the same etymon but differ by the derivational path they assume.

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum, gamma, p. 295 (Γαλαθηνός· παρὰ τὸν θήσω μέλλοντα δηλοῦντα <τὸ θρέψω, ἐξ οὗ τὸ τιθήνη, τὸ σημαῖνον> τὴν τροφόν); ibid., gamma, p. 296 (Γαλαθηνός· ἐκ τοῦ γάλα καὶ τοῦ θῶ, τὸ θηλάζω· ἐξ οὗ καὶ τιθήνη· ὡς τὸ <δ 89> „ἐπηετανὸν [γ]άλα θῆσθαι“); Eustathius, Comm. Il. vol. 2, p. 344 (Γίνεται δὲ ἡ τιθήνη παρὰ τὸ θῶ θήσω, τὸ θηλάζω, ἀναδιπλασιασμῷ δυσφώνῳ καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ δασέος εἰς ψιλὸν διὰ καλλίονα φωνήν. Τὴν δὲ τιθήνην καὶ τιθηνόν φασιν οἱ παλαιοί, λέγοντες καί, ὅτι τιτθή καὶ τροφός καὶ τιθήνη διαφέρουσι παρὰ τοῖς μὴ πενιχροῖς); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 758 (Τιθήνας: Τροφούς. [...] Ἢ παρὰ τὸν θήσω μέλλοντα (τὸ τρέφω) ῥηματικὸν ὄνομα, θήνη· καὶ διπλασιασμῷ, τιθήνη); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, tau, p. 1731 (Τιθήνας. [...] ἢ παρὰ τὸν θήσω μέλλοντα τὸν σημαίνοντα τὸ τρέφω, ὄνομα ῥῆμα θήνη καὶ διπλασιασμῷ τιθήνη])

Modern etymology

Reduplicated derivative of the root θη- found in θῆσαι "to breast-feed", θῆλυς "female". PIE *dheh1-(i)-, cognate with Lat. fēmina "female", fēcundus "fertile", etc. (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Eva Ferrer