ἐλεφαίρομαι
Word
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Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Ed.
Quotation
<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⟧
Translation (En)
Elephas "elephant" […] Or from leukos "white" comes leukas "white" and *lekas, and by change of /k/ into /ph/ *lephas, and by addition of /e/ elephas, for its bone is entirely white. Or from helissō "to wind up", <future> helixō, comes *eliphas and elephas, the one with a rolled up (eiligmenēn) nose. Or from elephairō "to damage", for the animal causes damage
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 329 (Ἐλέφας: Τὸ ζῷον· Ἀμετροβίων ἐλεφάντων. Ἐλέβας τὶς ὤν· διὰ γὰρ τὸ βάρος ἐν ὕδατι ἑλώδει τὰς ἐπιβάσεις (τουτέστι τὰς μίξεις) ποιεῖται· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐλεφαίρω, τὸ βλάπτω· βλαπτικὸς γάρ. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐλίσσω γίνεται ἐλίφας καὶ ἐλέφας, ὁ ἐλιγμένην ἔχων ῥῖνα. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐν ἕλει ἐπιβαίνειν τῇ θηλείᾳ, ἐλέβας τὶς ὤν· ἐπιβαίνει γὰρ τῇ θηλείᾳ, οὐκ ἐπὶ γῆς διὰ τὸν ὄγκον, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ ὕδατος ἑλώδους ὅπου νέμονται· καὶ γίνεται εἰκότως κοῦφος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ λευκὸς γίνεται λεύκας· καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ κ εἰς φ, λέφας· καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ε, ἐλέφας· πάνυ γὰρ ἐστὶ λευκὸν τὸ ὀστοῦν αὐτοῦ)
Comment
Derivational etymology, relying on the phonetic similarity between ἐλέφας ἐλεφαίρομαι, and probably seeking support in Homer's line τῶν οἳ μέν κ’ ἔλθωσι διὰ πριστοῦ ἐλέφαντος, || οἵ ῥ’ ἐλεφαίρονται, ἔπε’ ἀκράαντα φέροντες· (Od. 19.564-565), where, however, ἐλέφαντι refers to ivory, not to the elephant. But since in Greek ἐλέφας means both "ivory" and "elephant", it was easy to jump from one meaning to the other. The first etymology by λευκός is in fact intended for the meaning "ivory". This is a reversible etymology (see ἐλεφαίρομαι / ἐλέφας)