χωρέω

Validation

No

Last modification

Tue, 04/18/2023 - 16:02

Word-form

χθών

Transliteration (Word)

khthōn

English translation (word)

earth

Transliteration (Etymon)

khōreō

English translation (etymon)

to make room, to contain

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

fr. *206

Edition

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

Source

Epimerismi Homerici

Ref.

Epimerismi Homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, khi 17

Ed.

A. Dyck, Epimerismi Homerici: Pars altera. Lexicon αἱμωδεῖν. Berlin – New York, 1995

Quotation

Χθών· παρὰ τὸ χῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, γίνεται χὼν καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ θ χθών· ἡ πάντας χωροῦσα.

Translation (En)


Khthōn "earth": from *khō, "to contain", are made *khōn and by addition of [th] khthōn; the one that contains every being.

Other translation(s)

Khthōn « terre » : à partir de *khō, « contenir », est fait *khōn et par ajout de [th] khthōn. Celle qui contient tous les êtres.

Comment

Derivational etymology implying one formal manipulation, the addition of a consonant. The latter may be due to the observation that "earth" has next to χθών, χθαμαλός forms without θ: χαμαί, χαμᾶζε. Although this is not explicit in the wording of the Epimerisms, it may have suggested that the θ was optional, a mere pathos.

Parallels

Lucius Annaeus Cornutus, Theologiae Graecae compendium, §28 (τάχα δὲ ἡ χθὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ χεῖσθαι ἤτοι χωρεῖν πάντα οὕτως ἐκλήθη, ὡς εἴρηται τὸ οὐδὸς δ’ ἀμφοτέρους ὅδε χείσεται); Herodian, De prosodia catholica, Gr. Gr. 3.1, p. 395 (χθών μόνον θηλυκὸν ἐκ τῶν εἰς ων μονοσυλλάβων καὶ διαλλάξαν κατὰ τὴν κλίσιν. γίνεται δὲ παρὰ τὸ χῶ ῥῆμα χών καὶ χθών); idem, Περὶ παθῶν, Gr. Gr. 3.2, p. 286 (ἄσθμα: ὤφειλεν εἶναι παρὰ τὸ ἄω ἄσμα ὡς ξύω ξύσμα, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ θ ἄσθμα ὡς παρὰ τὸ χῶ τὸ χωρῶ χών καὶ κατ’ ἐπένθεσιν τοῦ θ χθών ἡ πάντα χωροῦσα); idem, Περὶ ῥηματικῶν ὀνομάτων, Gr. Gr. 3.2, p. 903 (χθών· γίνεται παρὰ τὸ χῶ ῥῆμα χών καὶ χθών); Orion, Etymologicum, khi, p. 164 (Χαμαί. παρὰ τὴν χθόνα. ὅθεν, αὐτὴ δὲ χθαμαλή. ἡ δὲ χθὼν, πλεονάζει τὸ θ. χῶ γὰρ ἐστὶ, τὸ χωρῶ.); Stephanus Byzantius, Ethnica 22, §65 (Χώρα· ἡ μερικὴ γῆ, παρὰ τὸ χῶ ῥῆμα, ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ χών καὶ χθών καὶ χωρικὴ γῆ); Epimerismi Homerici Il. 1.88,1 (χθών: παρὰ τὸ χῶ ῥῆμα, τὸ χωρῶ, ἐγένετο χών καὶ κατὰ πλεονασμὸν τοῦ θ· ἡ πάντας λαμβάνουσα καὶ ὑποδεχομένη. | καὶ κλίνεται μόνως θηλυκῶς καὶ γράφεται ἐπὶ τῆς γενικῆς διὰ τοῦ ο.); Lexicon αἱμωδεῖν, alpha 143 (ἄσθμα (Ο 241): [...] χῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, χών καὶ κατ’ ἐπένθεσιν τοῦ θ χθών); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 211 (Ἄσθμα <Π 109>· [...] ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ χθών ὄνομα, χῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, χών καὶ κατ’ ἐπένθεσιν τοῦ θ χθών); ibid., khi, p. 562 (Χαμαὶ, παρὰ τὴν χθόνα, ὅθεν αὐτὴ καὶ χθαμαλή· ἡ δὲ χὼν πλεονασμῷ τοῦ θ, χθών· χὼν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ πάντας χωροῦσα); ibid., khi, p. 565 (Χθὼν, παρὰ τὸ χῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, γίνεται χὼν, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ θ, χθὼν, ἡ πάντας χωροῦσα); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 153 (Ἄσθμα: [...] ὥσπερ καὶ χῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, χὼν, καὶ χθών); ibid. Kallierges p. 809 (Χθών: Παρὰ τὸ διαχεῖσθαι καὶ χώννυσθαι δύνασθαι· ἢ παρὰ τὸ χῶ, τὸ χωρῶ· οὗ παράγωγον, χείω· ὅθεν, Οὐδὸς δ’ ἀμφοτέρους ὅδε χείσεται); Joannes Tzetzes, Exegesis in Homeri Iliadem, 1.272 (<ἐπιχθόνιοι>· χθών· χῶ τὸ χωρῶ· χὼν καὶ χθών); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, khi, p. 1852 (Χθών. ἡ γῆ. καὶ κλίνεται χθονός. παρὰ τὸ διαχεῖσθαι καὶ χωννύεσθαι. ἢ παρὰ τὸ γῶ, τὸ χωρῶ); Scholia in Hesiodum, Works and Days, Scholion 90bis (ΧΘΟΝΙ. Τῇ γῇ· ἐκ τοῦ χῶ, τὸ χωρῶ, χὼν, καὶ χθὼν, ἡ πάντα χωροῦσα)

Modern etymology

Old inherited name of the earth, with cognates in all IE languages, belonging with χαμαί, χθαμαλός etc. PIE *dhghom- with either metathesis or cluster simplification in Greek (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No, but the derived adjective χθόνιος "belonging to the underworld" still exists as a learned word

Entry By

Eva Ferrer