λαπάσσω

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Word-form

λαπάρα

Transliteration (Word)

lapara

English translation (word)

flank

Transliteration (Etymon)

lapassō

English translation (etymon)

to empty

Author

Athenaeus

Century

2-3 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Deipnosophistae 8.64

Ed.

G. Kaibel, Athenaei Naucratitae deipnosophistarum libri xv, 3 vols., Leipzig: Teubner, 1-2:1887; 3:1890 (repr. 1-2:1965; 3:1966)

Quotation

ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ λαπάττειν λαπάρα

Translation (En)

From lapattein "to empty" comes lapara "flank"

Comment

Derivational etymology, correct from the modern point of view. The etymology comes from Diocles, a Greek physician of the 4th c. BC, as appears from Hesychius (see Parallels; Diocles fr. 21, ed. P. J. van der Eijk, Diocles of Carystus: A Collection of the Fragments with Translation and Commentary, vol. 1 [Studies in Ancient Medicine 22. Leiden-Boston-Köln: Brill, 2000]). The verb λαπάσσω provides the first two syllabes of the lemma λαπάρα. The etymology is descriptive: the flank is void of bones, hence the idea that it has been "emptied". The etymology is repeated with a mistake in the Epitome of the Deipnosophists, with λάπτειν instead of λαπάττειν, and this mistake is later on repeated by Eustathius who, however, seems to take λάπτω in its proper meaning "to lap, to drink"—because drinking results in emptying the cup or glass?

Parallels

Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae (epitome), vol. 2, 1, p. 73 (ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ λάπ<ατ>τειν λαπάρα); Orion, Etymologicum, kappa, p. 79 (Κενεών. ὁ κατὰ τὴν λαγόνα τόπος, παρὰ τὸ κενὸν τῶν ὀστέων. καὶ λαπάρα διὰ τοῦτο· λαπάξαι γὰρ τὸ κενῶσαι); Hesychius, Lexicon, lambda 305 (λαπάραι· τὰ παρὰ ταῖς πλευραῖς τοῦ σκήνους. Διοκλῆς δὲ τὴν ἐκκεκενωμένην κοιλίαν [elliptic etymology: λαπάσσω is replaced by its synonym ἐκκενόω]); ibid., lambda 307 (λαπάρας· […] ἢ κοιλίας ἐκκενωμένας); Etym. Genuinum, lambda 33 (Λαπάρα· παρὰ τὸ λελάφθαι, ὅ ἐστιν ἐκκεκενῶσθαι τὸν τόπον πρὸς σύγκρισιν τῶν πλευρῶν. λαπάξαι γὰρ τὸ κενῶσαι. ὅθεν καὶ λάφυρα ἀπὸ τῆς κενώσεως τῆς πόλεως); Etym. Gudianum, lambda, p. 362 (Λαπάρα, ὁ κενὸς ὀστέων τόπος τῆς πλευρᾶς· λαπάξαι γὰρ τὸ κενῶσαι, παρὰ τὸ λάπαθον τὴν βοτάνην, κενωτικὴν οὖσαν γαστρός); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 1, p. 666 (Γίνεται δὲ ἡ λαπάρα, δι’ ἧς ὁ κενεὼν δηλοῦται, παρὰ τὸ λάπτω, τὸ ἐκκενῶ, ὡς καὶ ὁ κενεὼν ἐκ τοῦ κενῶ, ὁ λαπαχθεὶς τόπος καὶ κενὸς ὀστῶν); ibid., vol. 2, p. 245 (κενεὼν δέ, ὡς κενὸς ὀστῶν, λαπάρα δὲ παρὰ τὸ λάπτειν, ὃ ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ ἐκκενοῦν, ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ λάφυρα τὰ ἐκ τῶν πολεμίων σκηνῶν καὶ πόλεων ἐκκενούμενα); ibid., vol. 1, p. 104 (Ἀλαπάξαι δὲ κυρίως τὸ ἐκκενῶσαι, ὅθεν καὶ λαπάρα ἡ κενὴ ὀστῶν καὶ λαφύσσω); ibid., vol. 3, p. 178 (ὅπερ ὀνοματοποιΐας τρόπῳ τὸ ῥαγδαίως καταπίνειν δηλοῖ, γενόμενον ἐκ τοῦ λάπτω λάψω λέλαφα, ὅθεν καὶ λάφυρον, ὥσπερ ἐκ τοῦ λέλαπα μέσου παρακειμένου, ἢ τοῦ ἔλαπον δευτέρου ἀορίστου, γίνεται λαπάρα καὶ λάπαθον καὶ λαπάζειν); Eustathius, Comm. Od., vol. 1, p. 52 (γινομένης καὶ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ λάπτειν. ὅθεν καὶ ἡ λαπάρα); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 503 (Κενεών: Ὁ κατὰ τὸν λαγόνα τόπος, ἡ λαπάρα· παρὰ τὸ κενὸς εἶναι ὀστέων· καὶ γὰρ λαπάρα λέγεται διὰ τὸ λελάφθαι (ὅ ἐστι ἐκκενῶσθαι) τὸν τόπον, πρὸς σύγκρισιν τῶν πλευρῶν. Λαπάξαι γὰρ τὸ κενῶσαι); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, lambda, p. 1285 (Λαπάραν. τὴν λαγόνα. παρὰ τὸ λελάφθαι, ὅ ἐστιν ἐκκενῶσθαι τὸν τόπον. πρὸς σύγκρισιν τῶν πλευρῶν. λαπάξαι γὰρ τὸ κενῶσαι. ὅθεν καὶ λάφυρα ἀπὸ τῆς κενωτικῆς πόας)

Modern etymology

Substantivated feminine of the adjective λαπαρός "weak, hollow", belonging with λαπάσσω "to hollow out". Unknown etymology (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has λαπάρα "abdominal cavity" as a learned word of the medical vocabulary

Entry By

Le Feuvre