πρόειμι

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Last modification

Sun, 05/07/2023 - 11:40

Word-form

πρωΐ

Transliteration (Word)

prōï

English translation (word)

at morn

Transliteration (Etymon)

proeimi

English translation (etymon)

to go forward

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, pi, p.133

Ed.

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

Quotation

Πρωΐ. ὑπὸ τοῦ προϊέναι ἡμᾶς

Translation (En)

Prōi "at morn": from when we go forward (proeimi)

Comment

Derivational etymology starting from a sequence preverb-verb. The verb provides the final [I]. The lengthening of the preverb in the lemma πρωΐ is not explained. The etymology was probably designed at a time when the phonological distinction between long and short vowels was lost.

Parallels

Epimerismi homerici, omicron 23 (ὀψ⸤ιτέλεστ⸥ον (Β 325): ὄνομα οὐδέτερον ἐκ τοῦ ὀψέ καὶ το<ῦ> τέλεστον, ὅπερ ἐκ τοῦ τελῶ τελέσω· τὸ δὲ ὀψέ ἐκ ⸤τοῦ ἄψ, ὃ σημαίνει⸥ τὸ εἰς τοὐπίσω ἐπαναστρέψαι, ἤγουν πρὸς τὸν οἶκον, ἢ τὸ πάλιν <...> ἀμφότερα δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἄψ, ὥσπερ πρωΐα λέγεται παρὰ τὸ †εἰς τὸν οἶκον† προϊέναι...); Etym. Genuinum [Vat. gr. 1818, f. 256r, ll.14-16] (Πρωΐα: Παρὰ τὴν πρὸ πρόθεσιν χρόνον δηλοῦσαν· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ προϊέναι ἡμᾶς, καθὸ ταύτης ἐπιφανείσης προΐασιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ προϊκνεῖσθαι τῆς ἡμέρας τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον); Etym. Gudianum, p. 446, 3 (Ὀψία, ἀψία ἦν, παρὰ τὸ ἂψ ἰέναι ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων· καὶ τὸ ἐναντίον κατάστημα πρωΐα δὲ λέγεται, παρὰ τὸ προϊέναι ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα· Σαπφὼ, φέσπερε πάντα φέρω ὅσα φαινότερα ἐσκέδασ’ ἡώς); Etym. Gudianum, p. 484, 34 (Πρωΐα, ἀπὸ τοῦ προϊέναι ἡμᾶς· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ πρωῒ κινεῖσθαι τὴν ἡμέραν, τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον); Mauropus, Etymologica nominum, 119 (τὸ πρωῒ δὲ πρόεισιν οὐκ ἔχον λόγον); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 692 (Πρωΐα: Παρὰ τὴν πρὸ πρόθεσιν χρόνον δηλοῦσαν· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ προϊέναι ἡμᾶς, καθὸ ταύτης ἐπιφανείσης προΐασιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ προϊκνεῖσθαι τῆς ἡμέρας τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον. Ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώϊος· ἐξ οὗ τὸ οὐδέτερον, πρώϊον, ὡς παρὰ τῷ ποιητῇ, Ἰλιάδος οʹ. οἷον, "Νευρὴν δ’ ἐξέρρηξε νεόστροφον ἣν ἐνέδησα πρώϊον"· ἀντὶ τοῦ ἕωθεν, ὄρθρου· ἢ πρόσφατον, νεωστὶ ἐστραμμένην, καινήν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, omicron, p. 194 (Ὀψίας. οἷον ἑψία τις οὖσα. παρὰ τὸ ἕπω, τὸ ἀκολουθῶ, ἕψω, ἑψία, ἡ ὄπισθεν οὖσα καὶ ἐπακολουθοῦσα ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων. ὀψίας δὲ γενομένης. ὅθεν καὶ πρωΐα τὸ ἐναντίον λέγεται κατάστημα, παρὰ τὸ προϊέναι ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα); ibid., pi, p. 1581 (Πρωΐα. παρὰ τὸ προϊέναι ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα. καθὸ ταύτης ἐπιφανείσης προΐασιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ προϊκνεῖσθαι τῆς ἡμέρας τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον)

Bibliography

On the etymology of πρωΐ, πρώην (πρώᾱν) < *πρωϝί, πρωϝᾱν, see Claire Le Feuvre, « Suffixation et composition : composés et dérivés de la racine *Heṷ- ‘voir’ dans les langues indo-européennes ». Bulletin de la Société de Linguistique 105/1, 2010, p. 125-144. The article argues that the adverbs go back to a compound *pro-Hw- "looking forward", with a temporal meaning "the next morning", hence "early".

Modern etymology

Belongs with πρώην. The long /ō/ is also found in Germanic (OHG fruo "early". Beekes (EDG) reconstructs an adverb *proH but the laryngeal must rather be the trace of an old compound (see above, Bibliography)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Yes

Entry By

Arthur de Tocqueville