ἐλέφας
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Ἐλεφέρω. παρὰ τὸ ἔλπω τὸ ἐλπίζω, ἄλλο παράγωγον ἐλπαίρω, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ε, ἐλεπαίρω· τροπῇ τοῦ π εἰς φ, ἐλεφέρω. κυρίως τὸ ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἀπατᾶσθαι. οὕτως Ἡρωδιανός. λέγει δὲ δύνασθαι τὸ ἐλεφαίρω παρὰ τὸ ζώον εἰρῆσθαι. [NB: Sturz prints παρὰ τὸ ζῶ]
Translation (En)
Elephairō: from elpō "to hope", another derivative is *elpairō, and with addition of /e/ *elepairō. By change of /p/ into /ph/, eleph<ai>rō. The proper meaning is "to be deceived in one's hopes". This is what Herodian says. But he says that elephairō can be derived from the animal (elephant)
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, epsilon, p. 455 (<Ἐλέφας>· ... ἢ παρὰ τὸ λευκός γίνεται λεύκας καὶ λέκας, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ κ εἰς φ λέφας, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ε ἐλέφας· πάνυ γὰρ λευκὸν τὸ ὀστοῦν αὐτοῦ. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐλίσσω ἐλίξω γίνεται ἐλίφας καὶ ἐλέφας, ὁ εἰλιγμένην ἔχων ῥῖνα. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐλεφαίρω, τὸ βλάπτω· βλαπτικὸν γὰρ τὸ ⟦ζῶον⟧); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 329 (Ἐλεφαίρω δὲ κυρίως, τὸ ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἀπατῶ καὶ βλάπτω. Παρὰ τὸ ἔλπω, παράγωγον ἐλπαίρω· καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ε, ἐλπεαίρω· καὶ ὑπερθέσει τοῦ ε, ἐλεπαίρω· καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ψιλοῦ εἰς δασὺ, ἐλεφαίρω· ὁ ἀόριστος, ἐλέφηρα· ὁ μέσος, ἐλεφηράμην· ἐλεφηράμενος, ἡ μετοχή. Δύναται δὲ καὶ παρὰ τὸν ἐλέφαντα τὸ ζῷον εἰρῆσθαι· βλαπτικώτατον γὰρ τὸ ζῷον); Etym. Symeonis, epsilon 313 (Ἐλεφῄρατο· ἐλεφαίρω· ἐλεφαρῶ ἐλέφῃρα ἐλεφῃράμην ἐλεφῄρω ἐλεφῄρατο· σημαίνει δὲ κυρίως τὸ ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἀπατᾶσθαι καὶ βλάπτεσθαι· παρὰ τὸ ἔλπω γίνεται ἐλπαίρω, τροπῇ τοῦ π εἰς φ καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ε ἐλεφαίρω. Δύναται δὲ καὶ παρὰ τὸν ἐλέφαντα τὸ ζῷον εἰρῆσθαι· βλαπτικὸν γὰρ ἐστὶ τὸ ζῷον)
Comment
The text in Orion's main manuscript is corrupt. This is an elliptic etymology, where the real etymon, ἐλέφας "elephant", is not explicit, and only hinted at through the τὸ ζῷον "the animal". This etymology, although the wording seems to attribute it to Herodian, is probably not by him, and is not found in other sources depending on Herodian (the Epimerisms). It is a paronymic etymology that is meant to account for the derived meaning "to cause damage" (for to cheat causes damage), because the elephant can cause much damage. It has its source in the Odyssey line describing the two doors of Dream, the one made of ivory and the other of horn. Od. 19.654-565: τῶν οἳ μέν κ’ ἔλθωσι διὰ πριστοῦ ἐλέφαντος, || οἵ ῥ’ ἐλεφαίρονται, ἔπε’ ἀκράαντα φέροντες "those that come out through the sawn ivory, those are deceiving, bringing words without fulfillment". In Homer it is a mere wordplay, but as often, it was interpreted by Greek scholars as a figura etymologica