ἁπαλός

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No

Last modification

Mon, 02/19/2024 - 10:40

Word-form

ἀταλός

Transliteration (Word)

atalos

English translation (word)

tender, delicate

Transliteration (Etymon)

hapalos

English translation (etymon)

tender

Author

Chrysippus

Century

3 BC

Source

Etym. Gudianum

Ref.

Etym Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 224

Ed.

E.L. de Stefani, Etymologicum Gudianum, fasc. 1 & 2, Leipzig: Teubner, 1:1909; 2:1920 (repr. Amsterdam: Hakkert, 1965)

Quotation

 Ἀταλός· ὀξυτόνως· εἴρηται ἀπὸ τοῦ τλῆναι ταλός, ὡς καὶ τὸ τάλας, καὶ κατὰ σύνθεσιν τῆς α στερήσεως ἀταλός, ὁ μηδέπω δυνάμενος ⟦κα⟧κοπαθεῖν. ὁ δὲ Χρύσιππος <fr. om. Arnim> „ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁπαλοῦ γέγονε κατὰ τροπὴν τοῦ π εἰς τ“.

Translation (En)

Atalos "tender", oxytone. It comes from tlênai "to bear, to suffer", *talos, as talas "unfortunate", and in composition with the privative a-, he who cannot yet suffer bad things. But Chrysippus says "it comes from hapalos "tender", by change of /p/ into /t/"

Comment

As De Stefani notices, this derivational etymology goes back at least to Chrysippus—it may be older—, in a fragment not listed by Arnim. The adjective is derived from a synonymous adjective and implies a formal change, that of the stop in the second syllable. Notice, however, that the difference between aspirate ἁπαλός and non aspirate ἀταλός is not mentioned. Either Chrysippus explained it as a pathos (formal change without semantic consequence), and the Byzantine Etymologica dropped this part, since they reason on a pilotis state of the language, or Chrysippus did not mention it—the problem is mentioned in the Gudianum, but not under Chrysippus' name. Ἀταλός is very often glossed by ἁπαλός in our sources, without any eplicit etymological link: this may be an implicit etymology, or simply point to the semantic equivalent.

Parallels

Etym. Genuinum, alpha 1336 (Ἀταλός Σ 567· ὁ νήπιος· εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ τλῆναι ταλός καὶ ἀταλός, ὁ μηδέπω δυνάμενος κακοπαθῆσαι. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἁπαλός, κατὰ τροπὴν ἀταλός); Etym. Symenonis, vol. 1, p. 276 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 224 (Ἀταλός· παρὰ τὸ ἁπαλός κατὰ μετάθεσιν στοιχείου); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 224 (Ἀταλός· ὁ ἁπαλός· κατὰ μετάθεσιν τοῦ π εἰς τὸ τ. καὶ τὸ μὲν ἁπαλός δασύνεται, τὸ δὲ ἀταλός ψιλοῦται. οὕτως καὶ τὸ ἄττα); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 161 ( Ἀταλός: Παρὰ τὸ ἁπαλὸς, κατὰ τροπὴν, ἀταλὸς, ὁ νήπιος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ τλῆναι, ταλὸς, καὶ ἀταλὸς, ὁ μηδέπω δυνάμενος κακοπαθεῖν).

Implicit etymology? D Schol. Il. 20.222 (Ἀταλῇσιν. Ἁπαλαῖς, νέαις); Hesychius, Lexicon, alpha 800 (ἀταλοῖς· νηπίοις n ἁπαλοῖς v); Συναγωγὴ λέξεων χρησίμων, alpha 1033 (ἀταλῇσιν· ἁπαλαῖς, νεογναῖς); Photos, Lexicon, alpha 305 (idem); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 334 (idem); Schol. Oppianum, Cyn. 1.312 (Ἀταλός· ἁπαλός); Schol. Oppinaum, Hal. 4.632 (Ἀταλή· ἁπαλή)

Modern etymology

Unclear. Leumann's (1050) hypothesis is unlikely because of the derivative ἀτιτάλλω (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

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