φάω

Validation

No

Last modification

Thu, 02/23/2023 - 11:35

Word-form

Φάρος

Transliteration (Word)

Pharos

English translation (word)

Pharos (island in the bay of Alexandria famous for its lighthouse, hence pharos "lighthouse")

Transliteration (Etymon)

phaō

English translation (etymon)

to shine

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

fr. 26

Edition

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

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, phi, p. 160

Ed.

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

Quotation

Φάρος· νῆσος ἡ πρὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου. παρὰ τὸ φῶ, τὸ φαίνω, οὗ παράγωγον φάω, <φάσω> Φάρος· παρὰ τὸ φαίνεσθαι αὐτὴν πρὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου. Φιλόξενος ἐν τῷ Περὶ μονοσυλλάβων ῥημάτων.

Translation (En)

Pharos: the island in front of Egypt. From *phō, "to appear" (phainō), from which is derived phaō, <phasō> Pharos; because it can be seen before Egypt. Philoxenus in the On monosyllabic verbs.

Other translation(s)

Pharos : l’île qui se trouve devant l’Egypte. De *phō « apparaître » (phainō), dont est dérivé phaō, <phasô> puis Pharos ; tiré du fait qu’on la voit avant l’Egypte. Philoxène dans le Des verbes monosyllabiques

Comment

Derivational etymology. The etymon is assumed to be the monosyllabic verb *φῶ, *φάω (matching the Homeric aorist φάε "it shone"). The verb is quoted under the active form φαίνω "to make visible", even though obviously the middle φαίνομαι is meant (see παρὰ τὸ φαίνεσθαι αὐτὴν πρὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου), because the rule is to give the etymon under the form of the lemma, that is, the 1sg active. The toponym is therefore motivated.

Parallels

Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, phi, p. 1798 (Φάρος. ἱμάτιον περιβόλαιον. ἀπὸ τοῦ φέρεσθαι, οἷον φέρος τὶ ὄν. καὶ Φάρος ἡ νῆσος ἡ πρὸ τῆς Αἰγύπτου. [ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἄλλον λόγον ἐπὶ τοῦ προφαινομένου τοῖς πλέουσι πύργου. εἴτε παρὰ τὸ φῶς ἀνάπτειν τοῖς πλέουσιν. ἢ παρὰ τὸ φάω, φάσω, Φάρος)

Modern etymology

Unmotivated toponym

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still hs φάρος as the name of the lighthouse, and Φάρος as the toponym

Entry By

Eva Ferrer