ἕλκω

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Last modification

Sun, 07/09/2023 - 16:03

Word-form

ὦλκα, ὤλξ

Transliteration (Word)

aulax

English translation (word)

furrow

Transliteration (Etymon)

helkō

English translation (etymon)

to drag

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

fr. 634*

Edition

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

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, omega, p. 171

Ed.

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

Quotation

Ὦλκα· „ἱεμένω κατὰ ὦλκα“ (Ν 707). παρὰ τὸν ἕλξω μέλλοντα ἕλξ, τροπῇ τοῦ ε εἰς ο ὂλξ καὶ ἐπεκτάσει τοῦ ο εἰς ω ὤλξ.

Translation (En)

Ōlka "furrow": "hiemenō kata ōlka" ["going through a furrow"] (N 707). From the future helxō "I will drag" *helx, by changing e into o *olx, and by lengthening /o/ into /ō/ *ōlx.

Other translation(s)

Ōlka « sillon » : « hiemenō kata ōlka » [« allant par un sillon »] (Ν 707). À partir du futur helxō « je tirerai » *helx, par changement du e en o *olx, et par allongement du /o/ en /ō/ *ōlx.

Comment

Derivational etymology starting from the future of the verb. This provides the /s/ of the nominative form *ὤλξ (the fact that the -s is the nominative ending and does not belong to the stem is not a problem for Greek etymology, singe the nominative is the form of the lemma). Then one formal change is needed, the lengthening of the vowel, which was an easy change backed by many examples of the alternation ο ~ ω.

Parallels

Philoxenus, fr. 15 (ὄπα· τὴν φωνήν. Φιλόξενος ἐν τῷ Περὶ μονοσυλλάβων παρὰ τὸν ἔψω μέλλοντα, οὗ θέμα ἔπω, τὸ λέγω, ἔψω ἒψ καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ε εἰς ο ὄψ, ὀπὸς ὀπὶ ὄπα, ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἕλκω ἕλξω ἓλξ ὄνομα καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ε εἰς ο ὄλξ, κατ’ ἔκτασιν τοῦ ο <εἰς> ω ὦλξ· „ὦλκα βαθεῖαν“ (Call. h. 3, 180)); Orion, Etymologicum, omikron, p. 120 (Ὄπα. τὴν φωνήν. Φιλόξενος ἐν τῷ περὶ Μονοσυλλάβων, παρὰ τὸν ἔψω μέλλοντα, οὗ θέμα ἔπω ἔψω, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ε εἰς ο, ὄψ. ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔλξω ἔλξον ὄνομα, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ε εἰς ο, ὄλξον, καὶ ἐπεκτάσει, ὦλξ. ὦλκα βαθεῖαν ὅμηρος.); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 821 (Ὦλκα: Τὴν αὔλακα· παρὰ τὸ ἕλκω ἕλξω ἓλξ καὶ ὄλξ· καὶ ἐκτάσει, ὤλξ.); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, omega, p. 1885 (Ὦλκα. τὴν αὔλακα. παρὰ τὸ ἕλξω, τροπῇ τοῦ ε εἰς ο καὶ ἐκτάσει τοῦ ο εἰς ω, ὦλξ); Schol. Od. 18, 375 (ὦλκα] παρὰ τὸ ἕλκεσθαι τὴν ἐπιμήκη αὔλακα)

Modern etymology

PIE *h2welk- with zero grade in αὖλαξ and o grade with contraction in ὦλκα (Acc.) < *ἀϝολκ-. The verb is attested in Baltic, Slavic and Iranian, meaning "to drag" (despite Beekes' skepticism, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has αυλάκι, from an old diminutive αὐλάκιον

Entry By

Eva Ferrer