κοῖλος + ῥέω
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
κόρη
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
korē
English translation (word)
girl, pupil (eye)
Transliteration (Etymon)
koilos + rheō
English translation (etymon)
hollow + to flow
Century
7-8 AD
Source
idem
Ref.
Viae dux 2.8
Ed.
K.-H. Uthemann, Anastasius Sinaïtae viae dux [Corpus Christianorum. Series Graeca 8. Turnhout: Brepols, 1981]
Quotation
καὶ ἡ κόρη τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ ὡς ἐκ τοῦ κοίλου ῥέειν τὸ δάκρυον λέγεται
Translation (En)
And the pupil (korē) of the eye is called after the fact that the tear flows (rheein) out of the hollow (koilou)
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 530 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 339 (κόρη δὲ ἡ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ κολλοῦ χέειν τὸ δάκρυον [mistake for κοίλου ῥέειν])
Modern etymology
Metaphorical meaning of κόρη "girl", because of the small image that can be seen in the pupil of the eye
Persistence in Modern Greek
MG still has κόρη "pupil of the eye"
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Compositional etymology, meant for the meaning "pupil of the eye" and unfit for the meaning "girl". It relies on an incorrect observation: the tears do not flow from the pupil, but since the pupil is correctly described as hollow, it could be seen as a vase containing the liquid (the tears). As usual in compositional etymologies, only the first syllable of each word is kept.