ἵημι

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Tue, 07/18/2023 - 19:24

Word-form

ἧλος

Transliteration (Word)

hēlos

English translation (word)

nail-head

Transliteration (Etymon)

hiēmi

English translation (etymon)

to send

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

fr. *203

Edition

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

Source

[Etymologicum Genuinum B]

Ref.

fr. *203

Ed.

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

Quotation

Χηλός· ... χῶ χήσω χηλός, ὡς παρὰ τὸ ἥσω ἧλος· ἡ χωροῦσα ἕκαστον τῶν ἐντιθεμένων.

Translation (En)

Khēlos "large chest": …*khō “to make room” *khēsō khēlos, as from hēsōI will sendhēlosnail-head” ; what makes room for everything that is put inside it.

Other translation(s)

Khēlos « coffre » : ... *khō « faire place » *khēsō khēlos, comme hēlos « clou » à partir de hēsō « j'enverrai » ; ce qui fait de la place pour tout ce qui est mis dedans.

Comment

Derivational etymology. From the formal point of view, it is regular according to Philoxenus' theory (derivation from the future form). From the semantic point of view, it is weird (and not explained). I suspect it is because ἵημι is used in Homer for "to throw" a missile (a javelin, an arrow), and the nail is compared to an arrow thrown into a material.

Parallels

Herodian, De prosodia catholica, Gr. Gr. 3.1, p. 543 (τὸ ἧλος παρὰ τὸ ἵημι καὶ ἥσω); Orion, Etymologicum, eta, p. 69 (Ἧλος. παρὰ τὸ ἥσω μέλλοντα. ἵημι ἥσω, ἧλος); Theognostus, Canones siue De orthographia, §473 (Τὸ ἧλος διὰ τοῦ η· ἀπὸ γὰρ τοῦ ἵημι, ἥσω, ἧλος· τὰ γοῦν παρ’ αὐτὸ συγκείμενα τὴν αὐτὴν φυλάττει γραφήν· οἷον, ἀργυρόηλος· χρυσόηλος· μακρόηλος); Choeroboscus, Prolegomena et scholia in Theodosii Alexandrini canones isagogicos de flexione nominum, p. 188 (Δεῖ προσθεῖναι «χωρὶς τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἥσω μέλλοντος τοῦ σημαίνοντος τὸ πέμψω, ἐξ οὗ τὸ ἀφήσω»· τοῦτο δὲ εἴρηται διὰ τὸ ἧλος, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ κέντρον, τοῦτο γὰρ δασύνεται); idem, De spiritibus, p. 203 (πλὴν τοῦ Ἧλος, ὅπερ ἐκ τοῦ ἵημι, ἥσω, γίνεται); Epimerismi Homerici Il. 1.53b2 (κῆλα: […] ἢ παρὰ τὸν ἥσω μέλλοντα, τουτέστιν ἀφήσω καὶ πέμψω, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἵημι, τὸ πέμπω, ἧλον καὶ κῆλον); Etym. Gudianum, eta, p. 242 (Ἦλος, παρὰ τὸ ἵημι, ἥσω, ἧλος, ὁ διαπεμπόμενος); ibid., kappa, p. 290 (Καθήλωσον, κράτησον, ἔστιν ἵημι τὸ πέμπω, ὁ μέλλων ἥσω ἧλος, ἡλῶ, ἡλώσω, καὶ μετὰ τῆς κατὰ προθέσεως καθηλῶ, καθηλώσω); ibid., kappa, p. 319 (Κῆλα, δῆλα τινὰ ὄντα φανερὰ, παρὰ τὸ καίω· κυρίως γὰρ τὸν κεραυνὸν σημαίνει καὶ τὸν πρηστῆρα· ἡ λέξις ἢ παρὰ τὸν ἥσω μέλλοντα, τοῦτ’ ἔστιν ἀφήσω καὶ πέμψω, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἵημι τὸ πέμπω, ἧλον καὶ κῆλον· καὶ εἰς τὸ δηλήσεται); ibid., chi, p. 564 (Χήληξι, τοῖς ὄνυξι τοῦ βοὸς, ἐκ τοῦ χαλῶ, ἐξ οὗ δίχηλος, χηλὸς, ὥσπερ τὸ ἥσω ἧλος, ἡ χωροῦσα ἕκαστον τῶν ἀντιθεμένων); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 4, p. 905 (ἢ καὶ ἄλλως εἰπεῖν, ἕστωρ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἥσω, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ἧλος, ἵνα ᾖ ἕστωρ ὁ ἐνηλούμενος τῷ ζυγῷ); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 264 (Ὁ μέλλων, δήσω· καὶ δῆλος, ὁ εὑρετὸς καὶ προφανὴς, ὡς παρὰ τὸ ἥσω, ἧλος); ibid., p. 428 (Ἧλος: Παρὰ τὸ ἵημι, τὸ πέμπω, ὁ μέλλων ἥσω· ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἧλος, ὁ πεμπόμενος); ibid. p. 510 (Κῆλα: Τὰ βέλη· [...] ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἵημι, τὸ πέμπω, (οὗ ὁ μέλλων, ἥσω, ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀφήσω, πέμψω) γίνεται ἧλον καὶ κῆλον); Joannes Tzetzes, Exegesis in Homeri Iliadem 1.246 (<ἥλοισι>· ἥλοις, ἵημι, ἥσω· ἦλος); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, eta, p. 985 (Ἧλος. παρὰ τὸ ἵημι, τὸ πέμπω, ὁ μέλλων ἥσω, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἧλος)

Modern etymology

Probably from *ϝαλνος or *ϝαλσος, cognate with Lat.vallus "pole, stake" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has ήλος

Entry By

Eva Ferrer