αὖος
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
αἶα
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
aia
English translation (word)
earth
Transliteration (Etymon)
auos
English translation (etymon)
dry
Century
9 AD
Source
idem
Ref.
Etym. Genuinum, alpha 156
Ed.
F. Lasserre and N. Livadaras, Etymologicum magnum genuinum. Symeonis etymologicum una cum magna grammatica. Etymologicum magnum auctum, vol. 1, Rome: Ateneo, 1976
Quotation
Αἶα· ἡ γῆ· παρὰ τὸ γαῖα αἶα ἀποβολῇ τοῦ γ ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ αὔω, τὸ ξηραίνω, αὖα, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ υ εἰς ι αἶα
Translation (En)
Aia "the earth": from gaia "earth", by dropping of the /g/, or from auō "to dry up", *aua, and by change of /u/ into /I/, aia
Parallels
Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, alpha 36 (αἴης (Β 162): γῆς· παρὰ τὸ αὔω, τὸ ξηραίνω, αὔη καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ υ εἰς ι γίνεται αἴη); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 27 (Αἶα· ἡ γῆ· παρὰ τὸ γαῖα, ἀποβολῇ τοῦ γ. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ αὔω, τὸ ξηραίνω, αὖα· καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ υ εἰς ι, αἶα)
Modern etymology
Variant of γῆ, unknown etymology (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
No
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Derivational etymology requiring a formal change, namely, the modification of the diphthong /au/ into /ai/. The etymon provided, αὔω "to dry up", is a ghost verb, assumed as the etymon of αὖος "dry" and of αἶα. The etymology relies on the opposition between dry land and sea: the same opposition accounts for Latin terra "earth", etymologically "the dry one".