λάω

Validation

No

Last modification

Tue, 10/12/2021 - 14:52

Word-form

λαγώς

Transliteration (Word)

lagōs

English translation (word)

hare

Transliteration (Etymon)

laō

English translation (etymon)

to look

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, lambda, p. 91

Ed.

F.W. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig: Weigel, 1820

Quotation

Λαγὼς καὶ λαγωὸς, παρὰ τὸ λάειν, ὅ ἐστι βλέπειν.

Translation (En)

Lagōs and lagōos ("hare"): from laein, which means "to look"

Comment

Derivational etymology, relying on a characteristic behavior of the animal, always looking around for fear of predators.

Parallels

Etymologicum Gudianum, lambda p. 360 (Λαγωὸς κοινῶς, λαγὼς Ἀττικῶς ἀπὸ τοῦ λάειν λαὸς καὶ λαγωός.) ; Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 1, 138, 28 (καὶ λαγὸς ἐρώτων ἀνάθημα διὰ τὸ ταὐτὸν τῆς κατὰ κλῆσιν γενέσεως. λαγός τε γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ λάειν καὶ Ἔρως ἐκ τοῦ ὁρᾶν, ἅπερ τὸ βλέπειν μηνύουσι); ibid., vol. 3, 90, 13 (Γίνεται δὲ παρὰ τὸ λάειν, ὅ ἐστι βλέπειν, ὁ λαγός); ibid., vol. 3, 238, 11 (Ὅτι δὲ ἐκ τοῦ λάω, τὸ βλέπω, γίνεται, ὥσπερ ὁ λέων, οὕτω καὶ ὁ λίς κατὰ τὸν γραμματικὸν Ὦρον ὡς ὀξυδερκής, καὶ ὅτι, ὥς φησι Μανέθων ἐν τοῖς πρὸς Ἡρόδοτον, οὐ καθεύδει ὁ λέων, ὅπερ ἀπίθανον — οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἀεὶ ἐγρηγόροι — ἀλλὰ κατὰ δορκάδα τὴν ἐκ τοῦ δέρκω παρηγμένην καὶ κατὰ λαγὼν τὸν ἐκ τοῦ λάω, ἀνεῳγότας καθεύδων ἔχει τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, οἱ παλαιοί φασιν); Eustathius, Comm. Od.,  vol. 2, 147, 1 (ὁ δὲ λαγωὸς εἰ μὲν ἐκ τοῦ λαγὼς ἐκτεταμένου δισυλλάβου γίνεται, πλεονασμὸν ἔχει τοῦ ο μικροῦ· εἰ δ’ ἐκ τοῦ ἑτέρου τοῦ συστέλλοντος τὴν λήγουσαν, ἐπεντεθῆναι δοκεῖ τὸ μέγα ω πρὸς ἀναλογίαν τοῦ κολωὸς καὶ τῶν ὁμοίων. φασὶ δὲ Ἰωνικὸν εἶναι τὸ λαγὼς δισύλλαβον μακροκατάληκτον, οἱ δ’ ἄλλοι λαγὸν, δηλαδὴ διὰ τοῦ ο μικροῦ, ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ λάω τὸ βλέπω. καὶ εἰσὶ καὶ πληθυντικὰ τούτου, ὡς δηλοῖ Ἀθήναιος. ἐκ δὲ τοῦ τοιούτου καὶ Λάγος τὸ κύριον, ὁμοίως τῷ, ἀργὸς Ἄργος. Ὅμηρος δέ, φασι, λαγωὸν λέγει ἴσως διὰ τὸ μέτρον); Etymologicum Magnum, Kallierges,, p. 554 (Λαγώς: Παρὰ τὸ ΛΑ ἐπιτατικὸν καὶ τὸ ὦς ὠτὸς Δωρικῶς γίνεται, ὁ μεγάλα ὦτα ἔχων. Ἢ τὸ λάειν, ὅ ἐστι βλέπειν· λέγεται γὰρ μὴ μύειν κοιμώμενος. Ἐκ τοῦ λαγὼς γίνεται λαγῷος τὸ ἐπίθετον· καὶ λαγῷα κρέα)

Modern etymology

Traditionally parsed as a compound *λαγ(ο)- + the name of the ear, οὖς, ὠτός, under the old stigmatic form *h2ous- (Beekes, EDG). This may be nothing more than a folk etymology

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has λαγός, with the old form preserved in learned compounds of the medical vocabulary like λαγώχειλο "harelip"

Entry By

Arthur de Tocqueville