πατέω

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Sun, 08/20/2023 - 11:52

Word-form

πατήρ

Transliteration (Word)

patēr

English translation (word)

father

Transliteration (Etymon)

pateō

English translation (etymon)

to tread on

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, pi, p. 132

Ed.

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

Quotation

Πατήρ. παρὰ τὸ πατεῖν ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ· κυρίως δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων.

Translation (En)

Patēr "father": from pateîn "to tread on" during mating. It is properly said of animals.

Comment

Derivational etymology, deriving the name of the father from the mating position of most male animals. It is said to apply properly to animals, and the application to man is therefore "by extension" (missing in the text).

Parallels

Choeroboscus, Prolegomena et scholia in Theodosii Alexandrini canones isagogicos de flexione nominum, p. 289 (καὶ πάλιν παρὰ τὸ αἴθω τὸ σημαῖνον τὸ καίω γίνεται αἰθήρ αἰθέρος, οἱονεὶ ὁ καυστικός, καὶ πάλιν παρὰ τὸ ἄω τὸ σημαῖνον τὸ πνέω γίνεται ἀήρ ἀέρος· οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πατῶ γίνεται πατήρ πατέρος, ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων, παρόσον οἱ ἄρρενες πατοῦσι τὰς θηλείας ἐν τῷ συγγίνεσθαι αὐταῖς); idem. Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 134 (Πατρία, παρὰ τὸ πατὴρ, πατέρος, πατριά· τὸ δὲ πατὴρ παρὰ τὸ τοὺς παῖδας τηρεῖν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ πατῶ, ἐκ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων· οἱ γὰρ ἵπποι ἐν τῇ συνουσία πρῶτον πατῶσι τὰς θηλείας. Ἐτυμολογεῖται δὲ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ θεοῦ, παρὰ τὸ τοὺς πατέρας τηρεῖν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, παρὰ τὸ τοὺς παῖδας τηρεῖν); Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.98a(πατήρ: ἐπὶ Θεοῦ παρὰ τὸ πάντας τηρεῖν. εἴρηται δὲ καὶ ἄλλως πατήρ παρὰ τὸ πατεῖν ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ, καθάπερ τὰ λοιπὰ ζῷα); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, pi 136 (πατέρα (Δ 354 alibi): παρὰ τὸ πῶ, ἢ παρὰ τὸ πατῶ, ἢ παρὰ τὸ βῶ βατήρ καὶ πατήρ); Etym. Gudianum, delta, p. 328 (Οὕτως καὶ παρὰ τὸ πατῶ, τὸ συνουσιάζω, πατήρ); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 244 (idem); ; Etym. Gudianum, pi, p. 455 (Πατὴρ, ἀπὸ τοῦ σπείρω, ὁ παθητικὸς παρακείμενος ἔσπαρμαι· τὸ τρίτον ἔσπαρται, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ σπατὴρ καὶ πατὴρ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ σ. ἢ παρὰ τὸ πα<τ>εῖν ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ· ἡ δὲ μεταφορὰ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων [Sturz prints παίειν, which is a mistake of the copyist]); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 655 (Πατήρ: Παρὰ τὸ πατεῖν ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ· ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ σπείρω σπατὴρ καὶ πατήρ· ἢ παρὰ τὸν ἦχον τὸν γινόμενον ἐν τῷ καταφιλεῖν τὰ παιδία. […] Πατὴρ, παρὰ τὸ τοὺς παῖδας τηρεῖν· ἢ ὅτι ἵπποι ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ πρῶτον πατοῦσι τὰς θηλείας. Πατὴρ οὖν, ὁ τοὺς παῖδας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ ἔχων. Εἰ δὲ σημαίνει τὸν θεὸν, γίνεται παρὰ τὸ τὰ πάντα ὁρᾶν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, pi, p. 1505 (Πατήρ. [ὁ ἡμέτερος] εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ πατεῖν ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ, ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων. ἢ παρὰ τὸ σπείρω, σπατὴρ καὶ πατήρ)

The etymology is implicit in Mauropus, Canones in s. Nicolaum 7.3 (Μνησικακίαν τὴν πικρὰν | ἀοργησίᾳ νικήσας | καὶ πατήσας, πάτερ, τὸν θυμὸν | ὡραίοις ποσὶ τῆς ταπεινώσεως)

Modern etymology

Old name of the father, found in almost all IE languages. PIE *ph2tér- (Beekes)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG has πατέρας, after the old accusative πατέρα

Entry By

Le Feuvre