λεῖος
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Ἔλαιον· παρὰ τὸ λεῖον λέαιον, τὸ λεαῖνον τὸ σῶμα, καὶ ἐν ὑπερθέσει ἔλαιον. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀλέα[ν], ὃ σημαίνει τὴν θερμασίαν· ἐν γὰρ θερμοῖς τόποις τὸ φυτὸν χαίρει.
Translation (En)
Elaion "olive oil". From leios "smooth", *leaion, that which makes the body smooth, and with metathesis elaion. Or from alea, which means "heat", because the plant likes hot places
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 326 (Ἔλαιον: Ὁ καρπός. Παρὰ τὸ λεῖον λέαιον, τὸ λεαῖνον τὸ σῶμα· καὶ ἐν ὑπερθέσει, ἔλαιον. Ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐλαία τοῦ φυτοῦ παρωνύμως ἔλαιον, τὸ τρωγόμενον; ibid., p. 326 (Ἐλαία: Παρὰ τὸ λεῖον· ἢ λειῶ, λέαια· καὶ ἐν ὑπερβιβασμῷ, ἐλαία, ἡ τὸ λεαῖνον τίκτουσα. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕλος, διὰ τὸ ἐν ἕλει ἵστασθαι· ἐν ἕλεσι γὰρ ὑγροῖς τὸ φυτόν. Ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἀλέαν, τὴν θερμασίαν· ἐν θερμοῖς γὰρ τόποις χαίρει); Etym. Symeonis, epsilon 269 (Ἔλαιον· ὁ καρπός· παρὰ τὸ λεῖον, τὸ λεαῖνον τὸ σῶμα, καὶ ἐν ὑπερθέσει ἔλαιον. Ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐλαία τοῦ φυτοῦ δύναται παρωνύμως ἡ ἐλαία· ἢ παρὰ τὸ λεῖον, ἢ παρὰ τὸ λειῶ λέαινα καὶ ἐν ὑπερθέσει ἐλαία· ἢ τὸ λεαῖνον ἔλαιον τίκτουσα. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕλος ἐν ἕλεσι γὰρ ὑγροῖς τὸ φυτόν· ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἀλέαν, ἤγουν τὴν θερμασίαν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, epsilon, p. 686 (Ἐλαία. τὸ δένδρον. †καὶ πόλις.† παρὰ τὸ λεῖον ἢ λειῶ λέαια καὶ ἐν ὑπερθέσει ἐλαία ἡ τὸ λεαῖνον ἔλαιον τίκτουσα. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕλος, ἐν ἕλει γὰρ καὶ ὑγροῖς τόποις φύεται. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀλέαν, τὴν θερμασίαν· ἐν θερμοῖς γὰρ τόποις χαίρει)
Comment
Derivational etymology, requiring two formal changes: firstly the insertion of /a/ in the etymon, and next a metathesis by which the /e/ becomes the first letter. This etymology was designed for the meaning "olive oil" rather than for the meaning "olive" (fruit). The oil has the property of making the skin smooth, hence the derivation of ἔλαιον from the verb "to make smooth" (λεαίνω). The etymon is the consequence of the lemma. he etymology was also used for the feminine ἐλαία "olive tree". This etymology is probably much older, but it is difficult to assess whether it is implicit in cases like Aristotle, Problemata 961a23 τὸ γὰρ ἔλαιον λεῖον ὂν ποιεῖ ὀλισθαίνειν "the olive oil, being smooth, makes things slippery" (the many co-occurrences of ἐλαίῳ λεαίνειν or the like in medical literature are not listed under Parallels)