ἀ- + ἐθέλω
Word
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Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Ed.
Quotation
Ἄεθλον· ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐθέλω, ἐθέλον τι· ἔστι μετὰ τοῦ ἐπιτατικοῦ α ἀέθελον, [τὸ πάνυ θελητόν], καὶ συγκοπῇ ἄεθλον καὶ κράσει τοῦ αε ἆθλον, καὶ ἆθλος τὸ ἀρσενικόν
Translation (En)
Prize of contest (aethlon) is from ethelō "to be willing", a *willing (*ethelon), as it were. It is built from the intensive alpha, [that which is very desirable], and through syncope aethlon, then contraction of [ae] athlon, and athlos "contest" is the masculine
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 25 (Ἆθλον: Ἐκ τοῦ τλῶ· τὸ τῷ καρτεροῦντι καὶ νικῶντι διδόμενον. Ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐθέλω, ἔθελον· καὶ μετὰ τοῦ ἐπιτατικοῦ α, ἀέθελον, τὸ πάνυ ζητούμενον· καὶ κατὰ κρᾶσιν τοῦ α καὶ ε, ἆθλον· καὶ ἆθλος τὸ ἀρσενικόν· διὸ καὶ περισπῶνται); ibid. p. 19 (Ἄεθλον: Ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐθέλω· ἔθελόν τι ὄν· καὶ μετὰ τοῦ ἐπιτατικοῦ α ἀέθελον, τὸ πάνυ θελητόν· καὶ συγκοπῇ, ἄεθλον· καὶ κράσει τοῦ α ε ἆθλον. Καὶ τὸ ἀρσενικὸν ὁ ἆθλος λέγεται καὶ ὁ ἄεθλος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ τλῶ τὸ καρτερῶ, τλὸν καὶ ἆτλον· καὶ τροπῇ ἆθλον); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 4, 722 (γίνεται δὲ ἡ λέξις κατὰ τοὺς παλαιοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐθέλειν. αἱρετὸν γὰρ καὶ θελητὸν καὶ ὁ ἄεθλος καὶ τὸ ἄεθλον); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha p. 53 (ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐθέλω, ἐπιτάσει τοῦ α, ἄεθλον).
Eustathius, Comm. Il. 2, 675, on ἄθλιος (Τὸ δὲ ἀέθλια παράγωγόν ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ ἄεθλον, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἴχνος τὰ ἴχνια. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ θεωρητέον ὡς, εἰ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἄεθλον κέκραται τὸ ἆθλον, ὅθεν καὶ ὁ ἀθλοφόρος, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἤδη καὶ ἐκ τοῦ παραγώγου ἀεθλίου ὡσαύτως ἐστὶ τὸ ἄθλιον. Αὐτὸ γὰρ ἐπὶ δυστυχίας μόνης κεῖται, ἵν’ ᾖ ἄθλιος ὁ δυσάεθλος κατὰ τὸν Ὁμηρικὸν Ὀδυσσέα, ὃς οὐδ’ ἐν τῷ νόστῳ πεφυγμένος ἦεν ἀέθλων).
There may be a hint at this etymology in the Greek anthology epigram Anth. Gr. 16.361, 5-6: μοῦνος δὴ νίκης γέρας ἄρνυσαι. ἦ παρὰ πᾶσι | δόξαν ἔχεις ἐθέλων ἆθλα λιπεῖν ἑτέροις
Bibliography
On the modern etymology, see G.-J. Pinault, "Compétition poétique et poétique de la compétition" in G.-J. Pinault, D. Petit (eds), La langue poétique indo-européenne, Louvain - Paris, Peeters, 2006, 367-411
Comment
The word is parsed as a compound of ἐθέλω with the intensive alpha: this etymology starts from the older, uncontracted form ἄεθλον. The notation on the contraction of ἄεθλον into ἆθλον is correct. This etymology implies that "will" must have a passive meaning, that which is wanted, as in the verbal adjective θελητός introduced as a gloss. Ancient lexicographers never mention the fact that this etymology is incompatible with the meaning of the derivative ἄθλιος "wretched", except Eustathius (see Parallels)