ἀποβαίνω

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Word-form

ἀποβάθρα

Transliteration (Word)

apobathra

English translation (word)

ladder for disembarking

Transliteration (Etymon)

apobainō

English translation (etymon)

to step off from

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

fr. *41

Edition

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

Source

Phrynichus

Ref.

Praeparatio sophistica, p. 19

Ed.

J. de Borries, Phrynichi sophistae praeparatio sophistica, Leipzig: Teubner, 1911

Quotation

Ἀποβάθρα· ἡ τῆς νεὼς ἔκβασις, δι’ ἧς εἴσιμέν τε καὶ ἔξιμεν. λέγεται δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀποβῶ ἀποβάθρα, οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀποβαίνω, ὥσπερ ἀπὸ τοῦ κρεμῶ κρεμάθρα καὶ ἀλινδῶ ἀλινδήθρα.

Translation (En)

Apobathra "ladder for disembarking": the way out of the ship, through which we get on and we get off. It is said that apobathra is made from *apobō "to step off from", and not from apobainō, as kremathra "rope hung from a hook" is made from kremō "to hang up" and alindēthra "place for horses to roll in" from alindō "to roll in the dust".

Other translation(s)

Apobathra « échelle de débarquement » : l’issue du navire, par laquelle nous entrons et nous sortons. On dit que apobathra vient de *apobō « sortir de », et non de apobainō, comme kremathra « corbeille suspendue » vient de kremō  « suspendre » et alindēthra « emplacement pour se rouler » de alindō « se rouler comme un cheval dans la poussière ».

Comment

Derivational etymology. Philoxenus takes as his starting point the invented monosyllabic verb *βῶ "to go", abstracted from βαίνω, ἔβην. His point is that ἀποβάθρα cannot be derived from the derived present ἀποβαίνω but must be derived from the underlying monosyllabic verb. The etymology is semantically straightforward since it is the correct one from the modern point of view.

Parallels

Photius, Lexicon, alpha 2448 (Ἀπόβαθρα· ἀποβατήρια, ἃ ἄν τις ἀποβαίνων εἰς τὴν ἀλλοδαπὴν δοίη, θεῷ θυσίας ἢ ἀνθρώποις δῶρα. πεποίηται δὲ παρὰ τὸ ἀποβαίνειν νεὼς ἢ ὀχήματος. λέγονται δὲ ἀποβάθραι καὶ αἱ κλίμακες, δι’ ὧν ἀπὸ τῆς νεὼς ἔξιμεν καὶ εἴσιμεν. Θουκυδίδης δὲ (4, 12, 1) καὶ οὐδετέρως ἀπόβαθρον λέγει)

Modern etymology

Βάθρον is derived from βαίνω, belonging with βαθμός, βάσις. PIE *gwem- "to go" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has αποβάθρα "wharf"

Entry By

Eva Ferrer