ἕλος

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Mon, 02/19/2024 - 15:55

Word-form

ἐλαία

Transliteration (Word)

elaion

English translation (word)

olive, olive oil

Transliteration (Etymon)

helos

English translation (etymon)

swamp, marshes

Author

Etym. Magnum

Century

12 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 326

Ed.

T. Gaisford, Etymologicum Magnum, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1848

Quotation

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

Translation (En)

Elaia "olive tree": from leios "smooth", or *leiô, *leaia, and with metathesis elaia, the one producing that which makes smooth. Or from helos "swamp", because the tree grows in damp places. Or from alea "heat", because it likes hot places

Comment

Derivational etymology, fitted for the name of the tree rather than for that of the fruit. The Et. Magnum mentions it under the lemma ἐλαία "olive tree", but it is clear from the parallels that it was transferred to the name of the fruit

Parallels

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)

Modern etymology

Loanword. Borrowed in Latin as olīva, oleum. Arm. ewł "oil" goes back to the same source (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG has έλαιο as a learned word, the usual word is λάδι, from ἐλᾴδιον

Entry By

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