Compositional etymology: the tears are the "very cold" ones. It must be understood rather metaphorically, asa reference to the chill of pain or sorrow, rather than to the fact that the tears are cold, since the tears are commonly said to be warm (Homeric δάκρυα θερμά). The second explanation provided as an alternative is corrupt and some text is missing: δάκρυον does not come from δα- + καίνω, but the latter is assumed to be the etymology of δάκνω (see δάκνω / δα- + καίνω), itself the etymon of δάκρυον (see δάκρυον / δάκνω). The full formulation was ἢ παρὰ τὸ <δάκνω, ὅ ἐστι παρὰ τὸ> ΔΑ, καὶ τὸ καίνω, τὸ κόπτω, ἔστι δάκρυα. The copyist dropped the middle part, thereby relating directly to the lemma δάκρυον, instead of its etymon δάκνω, the etymon of the etymon δα- + καίνω.