λεῖος

Validation

No

Last modification

Sat, 10/07/2023 - 12:10

Word-form

λείριον

Transliteration (Word)

leirion

English translation (word)

Madonna lily

Transliteration (Etymon)

leios

English translation (etymon)

smooth

Author

Herodian

Century

2 AD

Reference

Peri orthographias, Lentz III/2, p. 543

Edition

A. Lentz, Grammatici Graeci III/2, Leipzig 1870

Source

Choeroboscus

Ref.

De orthographia (epitome), p. 237

Ed.

J. A. Cramer, Anecdota Graeca e codd. manuscriptis bibliothecarum Oxoniensium, vol. 2, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1835 (repr. Amsterdam: Hakkert, 1963)

Quotation

Λειρία: Παρὰ τὸ λεῖον, λείϊον, καὶ προσθέσει τοῦ ρ λείριον (Choeroboscus)

Translation (En)

Leiria "lilies": from leion "smooth", *leiïon, and by addition of /r/ leirion

Comment

Descriptive derivational etymology. It requires the insertion of two phonemes, an extra /I/ and an /r/. The semantic relationship between the lemma and the etymon is loose: the flower is smooth, but this could apply to any flower. See on that problem ἄνθος / ἄνω + θέω

Parallels

Orion, Etymologicum, lambda, p. 85 (Λείρια. παρὰ τὸ λεῖον. ὁ αὐτὸς οὕτω φησί); Etym. Genuinum, lambda 55 (Λείρια: τὰ ἄνθη. οἶμαι ὅτι παρὰ τὸ λεῖον γίνεται λείριον); ibid., lambda 169 (⸤Λείριον: τὸ ἄνθος. παρὰ τὸ λεῖον λείιον καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ Ρ λείριον.⸥); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, lambda 11 (λείριον (Γ 152): τὸ ἄνθος. παρὰ τὸ λεῖον, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ὁμαλόν, λείϊον καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ λείριον, ὡς ἔγχος ἔγχει ἐγχειΐδιον καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ ἐγχειρίδιον); Etym. Gudianum, lambda, p. 364 (Λείριον, τὸ ἄνθος, παρὰ τὸ λεῖον, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ὁμαλὸν λείϊον καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ, λείριον· ὡς ἔγχος ἔγχεος, ἔγχεϊ, ἐγχειΐδιον, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ ἐγχειρίδιον· ἐξ οὗ καὶ ποδαλείριος, ὁ ποδῶν ἰατρός); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 562 (Λείριον: Τὸ ἄνθος· παρὰ τὸ λεῖον λείριον, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ, ὡς ἔγχος ἔγχει ἐγχείδιον· καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ, ἐγχειρίδιον. Ἐκ τούτου λειριόεις· καὶ λειριόεσσα, γλυκεῖα, ἐπιθυμητὴ, ἡδεῖα)

Modern etymology

Probably a loanword (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has λείριον as the scientific name of the flower. The common name is κρίνο

Entry By

Le Feuvre