ὀφέλλω 2

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Tue, 10/12/2021 - 14:52

Word-form

ὀφείλειν

Transliteration (Word)

opheilō

English translation (word)

to owe

Transliteration (Etymon)

ophellō 2

English translation (etymon)

to increase

Author

Aristotle

Century

4 BC

Reference

Fragmenta 580

Edition

V. Rose, Aristotelis qui ferebantur librorum fragmenta, Leipzig, Teubner, 1886

Source

Pollux

Ref.

Onomasticon, 9, 77

Ed.

E. Bethe, Pollucis onomasticon, 2 vols. [Lexicographi Graeci 9.1-9.2. Leipzig: Teubner, 9.1:1900; 9.2:1931]

Quotation

τὸ μέντοι τῶν ὀβολῶν ὄνομα οἱ μὲν ὅτι πάλαι βουπόροις ὀβελοῖς ἐχρῶντο πρὸς τὰς ἀμοιβάς, […]· Ἀριστοτέλης δὲ ταὐτὸν λέγων] ἐν Σικυωνίων πολιτείᾳ σμικρόν τι καινοτομεῖ, ὀφελοὺς αὐτοὺς τέως ὠνομάσθαι λέγων, τοῦ μὲν ὀφέλλειν δηλοῦντος τὸ αὔξειν, αὐτῶν δὲ διὰ τὸ εἰς μῆκος ηὐξῆσθαι ὧδε κληθέντων. ὅθεν καὶ τὸ ὀφείλειν ὠνομάσθαι φησὶν οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅπως·

Translation (En)

The name of the obol is said to come from the fact that in the past people used spits (obelois) for their exchanges […]. Aristoteles, saying the same thing, brings something new in his Constitution of Sicyon, saying they were named *opheloi for a while, because ophellō means "to grow", and they were thus named because their length had increased. He also says that from there comes the verb opheilein "to owe", I don't know how.

Comment

Derivational etymology made very easy by the fact that there are two different verbs ὀφέλλω: one is a variant of ὀφείλω and means "to owe", the second one is a different verb meaning "to increase". Therefore "to owe" had two forms, ὀφέλλω and ὀφείλω, whereas "to increase" had only one, ὀφέλλω. Aristotle's etymology does not make any difference between the two homonymous verbs ὀφέλλω, which allows him to equate "to increase" with "to owe". This derivation is well attested for ὀφείλω from ὀφέλλω 1 "to owe", and also for derivatives of ὀφείλω.

Parallels

Herodian, Peri orthographias, Lentz III/2, p. 562 (ὀφείλει δεῖ γενέσθαι κατ’ ἀνάγκην. —ὀφέλλει ὠφελεῖ αὔξει. ὄφελες ὤφειλες); Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.353a (ὄφελλεν: ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐχρεώστει. παρὰ τὸ ὀφείλω γέγονεν, ὅθεν καὶ ὀφειλή, τὸ χρέος· (ὀξυτόνως διὰ τῆς ει διφθόγγου γράφεται)· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀπειλῶ γίνεται ἀπειλή, οὕτως καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀφείλω ὀφειλή. ὀφελῶ οὖν ἐν συστολῇ καὶ μετὰ ἀναδιπλασιασμοῦ τοῦ λ ὀφέλλω, ὁ παρατατικὸς ὤφελλον καὶ τὸ τρίτον ὤφελλε καὶ συναρχομένως ὄφελλον); Etym. Gudianum, omicron, p. 443 (Ὀφείλημα, παρὰ τὸ ὀφέλλειν, ὅ ἐστιν αὔξεσθαι, τὸ δάνειον τὸ αὐξανόμενον τόκῳ· ὀφέλλω σημαίνει τὸ αὐξάνω); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 643 (Ὀφέλλω: Σημαίνει τὸ αὔξω· διαβάλλω· ἐξ οὗ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ι γίνεται ὀφείλω· ὅθεν καὶ ὀφείλημα τὸ αὐξανόμενον ἐν τῷ τόκῳ δάνειον); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 3, 305 (Τὸ δὲ «χρέος ὀφείλετο», καὶ τὸ «χρεῖος ὄφελλον» τὸν χρεωφειλέτην συντιθέασι. τῆς αὐτῆς δὲ ἐννοίας ὄντα τό τε ὀφείλειν καὶ τὸ ὀφέλλειν διαφέρει κατά τε προφορὰν καὶ καθ’ ὃ οὐκ ἀεὶ ἐπὶ χρέους τὸ ὀφέλλειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ ἁπλῶς αὐξήσεώς τινος. ὅτι δὲ τὸ μὲν χρεῖος ἀεὶ συστέλλει τὴν λήγουσαν, τὸ δὲ χρέος διφορεῖται κατ’ αὐτήν, δηλοῦται καὶ ἐν τοῖς εἰς τὴν Ὀδύσσειαν. Ὅρα δὲ καὶ ὅτι κυριολεκτούμενον ἐπὶ χρέους εὑρὼν τὸ ὀφείλεσθαι τρὶς αὐτὸ ἐν τῷ διηγήματί φησι «χρέος ὀφείλετο ἐν Ἤλιδι», καὶ «Ἐπειοὶ χρεῖος ὄφειλον», καὶ «χρεῖος μέγ’ ὀφείλετο»); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, omicron, p. 1489 (Ὀφείλημα. τὸ δάνειον. παρὰ τὸ ὀφέλλω, τὸ αὔξω. ὅθεν καὶ ὀφείλημα, τὸ αὐξανόμενον ἐν τῷ τόκῳ)

Modern etymology

Ὀφείλω implies a PIE root *h3bhel-, which would be homonymous with the one meaning "to augment" (ὀφέλλω). Only the latter has cognates in other IE languages. The meaning "to owe" would result from a Greek development (Beekes

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has οφείλω "to owe"

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