αἶα + γείτων + ἁλς
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Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
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Quotation
αἰγιαλός (Β 210): ἐτυμολογεῖται παρὰ <τὸ> τὴν αἶαν γείτονα εἶναι τῆς ἁλός· ἐξ αὐτοῦ γράφεται διὰ τῆς αι διφθόγγου. ἐκ τοῦ αἶα, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν γῆν· τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ γαῖα ἀποβολῇ τοῦ γ.
Translation (En)
Aigialos "seashore": the etymology is the land (aian) neighbor (geitona) of the sea (halos). It is spelled with a diphthong <ai> because it is from aia, which means "earth". The latter is from gaia "earth", by dropping of the /g/
Parallels
Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.34c (παρὰ ⸤θῖνα: ἡ παρά τὸ⸥ ἔξ⸤ω⸥ δ⸤η⸥λ⸤οῖ⸥, ὥσπερ καὶ παραπλεῖν τὸ ἔξω πλεῖν. ⸤αἰγιαλός μὲν οὖν κοινῷ⸥ εἴρηται ⸤ὀνόμα⸥τι, καὶ ἔστι παρὰ τὸ αἶαν ἐγγὺς ἁλὸς ἔχειν); Etym. Genuinum, alpha 170 (Αἰγιαλός (Β 210 ...)· παρὰ τὸ τὴν αἶαν γείτονα εἶναι τῆς ἁλός· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ γαίω); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 36 (Αἰγιαλός· ἐτυμολογεῖται παρὰ <τὸ> τὴν αἶαν γείτονα εἶναι τῆς ἁλός· ἐξ αὐτοῦ γράφεται διὰ τῆς αι διφθόγγου. ἐκ τοῦ αἶα, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν γῆν· τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ γαῖα ἀποβολῇ τοῦ γ. ἢ ὁ ἐγγὺς τῆς ἁλός, ἤγουν τῆς θαλάσσης. ἢ παρὰ τὸ τὴν ἅλα ἐκεῖ κλᾶσθαι. ἢ παρὰ τὸ κατάγνυσθαι ἐν αὐτῇ τὰ κύματα, ἤτοι κλᾶσθαι, ὡς Ἀπολλόδωρός <fr. deest ap. Heyne> φησιν· ἄξαι γὰρ τὸ κλάσαι λέγεται. αἰγιαλός ἐστι μέχρις οὗ τὸ μέγιστον τῆς θαλάσσης ἐκτρέχει [ῥῆμα ἤγουν] κῦμα); Etym. Gudianum, pi, p. 452 (Παρὰ θῖνα, […] αἰγιαλὸς μὲν οὖν κοινῷ εἴρηται ὀνόματι, καί ἐστι παρὰ τὴν αἶαν ἐγγὺς ἁλὸς ἔχειν); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 27 (Αἰγιαλός: Ἐτυμολογεῖται παρὰ τὸ τὴν αἶαν γείτονα εἶναι τῆς ἁλός· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ γαίω· [ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ δίκην αἰγὸς ἅλλεσθαι.]); ibid., p. 651 (Αἰγιαλὸς μὲν οὖν εἴρηται κοινῷ ὀνόματι, παρὰ τὸ αἶαν ἔχειν ἐγγὺς ἁλός); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 65 (Αἰγιαλός. παρὰ τὸ τὴν αἶαν γείτονα εἶναι τῆς ἁλός); Scholia in Oppinaum, Hal. 1.246 (αἰγιαλὸς παρὰ τὸ αἶα ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ γείτων καὶ τὸ ἅλς· ἡ τῆς αἴας γείτων ἃλς, ἢ παρὰ τὸ δίκην αἰγὸς ἅλλεσθαι τὰ κύματα ἐν αὐτῇ)
Comment
Composiitonal etymology with a not so frequent three-member compound. It obeys the acrophobic principle: only the first syllable of each word is kept in the compound. The use of γείτων for the syllable /gi/ probably implies a ioticised pronunciation. It is a descriptive etymology: the seashore is the land near the sea. In modern termes, this would be a head-initial compound (the head of the syntagm is the first word αἶα): the huge majority of Greek compounds are head-final, but the syntactic structure of the compound is something Greek etymologists paid no attention to.
Part of our sources have a different wording, with the synonym ἐγγύς replacing the etymon γείτων. It is found in the Epimerisms (παρὰ τὸ αἶαν ἐγγὺς ἁλὸς ἔχειν) and, abbreviated and without αἶα, in Orion (Αἰγιαλός· ὁ ἐγγὺς τῆς ἁλὸς, ἤγουν τῆς θαλάσσης). This is probably not a different etymology but a rewording of the etymology with γείτων. Nevertheless, it was sometimes repeated as a different etymology by compilers who did not understand that it was originally the same etymology (see αἰγιαλός / ἐγγύς + ἅλς).