ἄγω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
γέγονεν δὲ ἀκτὶς ἀπὸ ἐτυμολογίας ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄγω, ἄξω, ἦχα, ἦγμαι, ἦξαι, ἦκται, ἀκτίς· οἱονεὶ ἡ πανταχοῦ φερομένη· ἡ γὰρ ἀκτὶς τοῦ ἡλίου πανταχοῦ φέρεται· ἢ ἐκ τοῦ ἦκται ἐκτὸς, ἐκ τούτου ἀκτίς.
Translation (En)
Aktis "ray" etymologically comes from agō "to lead, to drive", <future> axō, <perfect> ēkha, <passive perfect> ēgmai, ēxai, ēktai, aktis. As though it were the one brought everywhere, because the sun's ray reaches every place. Or from ēktai, ektos and from the latter aktis.
Parallels
Etym. Genuinum B, alpha 386 (Ἀκτίς· παρὰ τὸ ἄγω ἄξω ἦχα ἦγμαι γέγονεν ἀκτίς, οἱονεὶ ἡ πανταχοῦ φερομένη· ἡ γὰρ ἀκτὶς τοῦ ἡλίου πανταχοῦ φέρεται. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκτείνω γέγονεν ἐκτίς καὶ ἀκτίς· ἡ γὰρ ἀκτὶς τοῦ ἡλίου πάνυ ἐστὶν ἐκτεταμένη. † καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀΐσσω, τοῦ σημαίνοντος τὸ ὁρμῶ, ὁ μέλλων ἀΐξω ἤϊχα ἤϊγμαι ἤϊκται ἀκτίς· ἡ γὰρ ἀκτὶς τοῦ ἡλίου ὁρμητική ἐστιν); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 76-77 (Ἀκτίς· ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄγω ἄξω ἦγα ἦγμαι ἦξαι ἦκται ἀκτίς, οἱονεὶ ἡ πανταχοῦ φερομένη· ἢ ἐκ τοῦ ἦκται ἀκτός καὶ ἐκ τούτου ἀκτίς διὰ τοῦ ι); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 76-77 (<Ἀκτίς>· ⸤δεῖ γινώσκειν, ὅτι τὸ ἀκτίς ἐτυμολογεῖτ⸥αι διαφόρως· ἢ γὰρ παρὰ ⟦τὸ⟧ ἄγω γίνεται ἀκτίς, ἡ πανταχοῦ ἀγομένη, ἡ ⟦γὰρ⟧ ἀκτὶς τοῦ ἡλίου πανταχοῦ φέρεται· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ⸤ἐκτείνω ἐκτίς καὶ ἀκτίς, παν⸥ταχοῦ γὰρ ἐφήπλωται· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀΐ<σ>σω, τὸ ὁρμῶ, ἡ γὰρ τοῦ ἡλίου λαμπηδὼν ὁρμητική ἐστιν); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 54 (Ἀκτὶς τοῦ ἡλίου: Παρὰ τὸ ἄγω τὸ φέρω, ἄξω, ἦχα, ἦγμαι, γέγονεν ἀκτὶς, οἱονεὶ ἡ πανταχοῦ φερομένη· πάνυ γάρ ἐστιν ἐκτεταμένη. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀΐσσω, ἀΐξω, ἤϊχα, ἤϊγμαι, ἤϊκται, ἀκτίς· ὁρμητικὴ γάρ ἐστιν, ἐπειδὴ ὅπου εὕρῃ ὀπὴν εἰσέρχεται); Etym. Symenoni, vol. 1, p. 246 (idem); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 107 ( Ἀκτίς. παρὰ τὸ ἄγω, ἄξω, ἦχα, ἦχμαι γέγονεν ἀκτίς· οἱονεὶ ἡ πανταχοῦ φερομένη καὶ συστρεφομένη. ἡ γὰρ ἀκτὶς τοῦ ἡλίου πάνυ ἐστὶν ἐκτεταμένη. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀΐσσω, ἀΐξω, ἤϊχα, ἤϊγμαι, ἤϊκται, ἀκτὶς, ἡ οὖσα ὁρμητική)
Bibliography
The word is probably an old word meaning "sharp, acute", from an older adjective "provided with a point". It has a cognate in Welsh, meaning "broom" (the plant). The derivation base is found in Baltic and Slavic. See Claire Le Feuvre, Homer from Z to A. Metrics, Linguistics and Zenodotus. Leiden, Brill, 2022, pp. 202 sqq
Comment
Derivational etymology, which may go back to Herodian. The word is derived from the 3sg of the perfect passive of the verb, meaning "it has been led". This form provides the consonantal structure of the etymon, and the vowels are obtained by assuming a pathos (change of [ē] into [a], presumably of [ai] into [I]). From the semantic point of view, the passive meaning is underlined in the gloss (φερομένη, φέρεται). This opposes Philoxenus' etymology in which the word is essentially active (see ἀκτίς / ἀΐσσω)