λάπτω

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No

Last modification

Sat, 12/30/2023 - 22:25

Word-form

λάφυρα

Transliteration (Word)

laphura

English translation (word)

spoils

Transliteration (Etymon)

laptō

English translation (etymon)

to lap, to dring greedily

Author

Eustathius of Thessalonica

Century

12 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Comm. Il., vol. 2, p. 245

Ed.

M. van der Valk, Eustathii archiepiscopi Thessalonicensis commentarii ad Homeri Iliadem pertinentes, vols. 1-4, Leiden: Brill, 1:1971; 2:1976; 3:1979; 4:1987

Quotation

λαπάρα δὲ παρὰ τὸ λάπτειν, ὃ ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ ἐκκενοῦν, ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ λάφυρα τὰ ἐκ τῶν πολεμίων σκηνῶν καὶ πόλεων ἐκκενούμενα

Translation (En)

Lapara "flank" comes from laptein "to drink greedily", which means the same as "to empty", from which comes laphura "spoils", that which is taken from the emptied cities and war barracks

Comment

Eustathius apparently draws an equivalence between λάπτειν "to drink greedily", hence "to empty" and λαf;yσσειν "to empty", probably assuming the latter is derived from the former although it is never explicit. Λάφυρα is derived now from λάπτω, now from λαφύσσω, That is to say, Eustathius relates λάφυρα now to its etymon (λαφύσσω), now to the etymon of the etymon (λάπτω). The idea is that the booty seized empties cities

Parallels

Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 3, p. 178 (ἐκ τοῦ λάπτω λάψω λέλαφα, ὅθεν καὶ λάφυρον, ὥσπερ ἐκ τοῦ λέλαπα μέσου παρακειμένου); ibid., vol. 1, p. 105 (γίνεται δὲ τὸ λαπάζειν ἐκ τοῦ λάπτειν, ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ τὸ λάφυρον); ibid., vol. 2, p. 245 (λαπάρα δὲ παρὰ τὸ λάπτειν, ὃ ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ ἐκκενοῦν, ἀφ’ οὗ καὶ λάφυρα τὰ ἐκ τῶν πολεμίων σκηνῶν καὶ πόλεων ἐκκενούμενα. ταῦτα δέ τινες καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τῷ λαῷ φύρεσθαι συντιθέασιν); Scholia in Aeschylum (vetera), Sept. 278c (λάφυρα λέγει τὰ ἐκ τῶν πολεμίων σκηνῶν καὶ πόλεων ἐκκενούμενα παρὰ τὸ λάπτειν τὸ ἐκκενοῦν· τινὲς δὲ αὐτὰ παρὰ τὸ λαῷ φύρεσθαι συντιθέασιν); Scholia in Sophoclis Ajacem (recentiora) 93b (<λαφύροις:> ἀπὸ τοῦ λάπτω τὸ ῥοφῶ)

Modern etymology

Unclear (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has λάφυρο "spoils" as a learned word

Entry By

Le Feuvre