φημί

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No

Last modification

Thu, 04/13/2023 - 23:20

Word-form

φώς

Transliteration (Word)

phōs

English translation (word)

man

Transliteration (Etymon)

phēmi

English translation (etymon)

to say

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

fr. *196

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

Φώς· ... ἢ παρὰ τὸ φῶ, τὸ λέγω· λογικὸν γὰρ ζῷον ὁ ἄνθρωπος.

Translation (En)

Phōs "man": ...or from *phō, "to speak" ; because man is an animal with the faculty of speech (logikon).

Other translation(s)


Phōs "homme" : ...ou bien de *phō, « parler », car l’homme est un animal doué de parole (logikon).

Comment

Derivational etymology, defining man by one of its characteristics features. Compare the etymology of ἄνθρωπος with the second member -ωπος identified as "voice" (see ἄνθρωπος / διαρθρόω + ὄψ)

Parallels

Lexicon αἱμωδεῖν, phi 16 (φώς (Γ 310): ὁ ἀνήρ, ἐκ τοῦ φῶ, τὸ λέγω, ὡς καὶ ὁ Θεολόγος (PG 36, 364 C)· „†φῶς γὰρ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὀνομάζουσι διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν λόγου δύναμιν“); Etym. Gudianum, phi, p. 560 (Φὼς, ὀξυτόνως ὁ ἀνὴρ, παρὰ τὸ φῶ τὸ λέγω, μόνος γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος λογικὸς, ὡς ὁ θεολόγος· φὼς γὰρ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὀνομάζει, διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν λόγου δύναμιν); Eustathius, Comm. Il. vol. 1, p. 623 (εἰς δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ συντελεῖ πρὸς ἄλλοις καὶ τὸ τῶν θηλειῶν ἀηδόνων ἀμελὲς καὶ ὁ φώς ἐκ τοῦ φῶ, τὸ λέγω); ibid., vol. 2, p. 697 (Προέκρινε δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἄνδρας τὸ φῶτας ὡς οἰκεῖον μᾶλλον τοῖς ἄρτι λογίως πρεσβεύουσι. Δοκεῖ γὰρ παρὰ τὸ φῶ, τὸ λέγω, εἶναι φώς ὁ ἀνήρ, ὡς μάλιστα λαλητὸν ζῷον. γυναιξὶ γὰρ ἡ σιγὴ πρέπει]); Eustathius, Comm. Od. vol. 1, p. 67 (ἴσως δὲ, καὶ τὸ τὸν ἄνδρα φῶτα λέγεσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ φῶ τὸ λαλῶ, κατά τι ἐξαίρετον. οὗ γυναιξὶν οὐ μέτεστι); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 804 (Φῶς: Ἀρσενικῶς, ὁ ἄνθρωπος· παρὰ τὸ φῶ, τὸ λέγω· μόνος γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος λογικὸν ζῷον· ἢ ὁ μόνος τὰ τῆς διανοίας φωτίζων τῷ λόγῳ. Καὶ ὁ Θεολόγος, φὼς γὰρ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὀνομάζουσι διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν λόγου δύναμιν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, phi, p. 1835 ([Φώς. ὁ ἀνήρ· ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὁ μόνος τὰ τῆς διανοίας φωτίζων τῷ λόγῳ. ἢ παρὰ τῷ φῶ, τὸ λέγω. λογικὸν γὰρ ζῶον ὁ ἄνθρωπος. καὶ κλίνεται φὼς φωτός])

Modern etymology

Probably a derivative of *bheh2- "to shine", but the semantic connection remains problematic (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Eva Ferrer