σέβομαι
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Σοφίζω, ἐκ τοῦ σοφὸς, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ σέβω, τοὺς γὰρ σοφοὺς πάντες σεβόμεθα.
Translation (En)
Sophizō "to be clever", from sophos "clever, wise". The latter from sebō "to revere", for we all revere (sebometha) the wise (sophous)
Parallels
Choeroboscus, ibid., p. 147 (Σοφία παρὰ τὸ σοφὸς, τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ σέβω); Etym. Gudianum, sigma, p. 497 (Σαφῶς, ἐκ τοῦ σαφὴς, τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ σαφῶ τὸ ἑρμηνεύω, τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ σοφὸς, τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ σέβω σοβὸς καὶ σοφός· τὸν γὰρ σοφὸν πάντες σεβόμεθα); ibid., p. 507 (Σοφία, παρὰ τὸ σοφός· τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ σέβω, ἢ ἡ τὸ φῶς σώζουσα τῆς οἰκείας φύσεως· ἢ διὰ τὸ σῶα φῆν, ἤγουν λαλεῖν); ibid., p. 507 (Σοφίζω, ἐκ τοῦ σοφὸς τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ σέβω· τὸν γὰρ σοφὸν πάντες σεβόμεθα); Eustathius, Comm. Dion. 458 ([…] τραπέντος τοῦ β εἰς φ, Μακεδόνων ἔθει, οἳ καὶ τὸν Φίλιππον Βίλιππόν φασι. Τοιοῦτον δέ τι καὶ τὸ σοφός ἐκ τοῦ σέβω, καὶ τὸ στρεβλός ἀπὸ τοῦ στρέφω); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 722 (Σοφός: Παρὰ τὸ σέβω, σοβὸς καὶ σοφός· σέβουσι γὰρ τὸν σοφὸν ἅπαντες); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, sigma, p. 1661 (Σοφός. παρὰ τὸ σέβω. τὸν γὰρ σοφὸν πάντες σεβόμεθα. ἢ παρὰ τὸ σῶα φάσκειν, κατὰ τροπὴν τοῦ ω εἰς ο).
The etymology may be implicit in Epicurus, Gnomologium Vatican Epicureum fr. 32: Ὁ τοῦ σοφοῦ σεβασμὸς ἀγαθὸν μέγα τῷ σεβομένῳ ἐστί "the reverence for the wise is a great benefit to the revering man"
Comment
Derivational etymology, requiring one formal manipulation, the change of /b/ into /ph/, and relying on the familiar alternation between /e/ and /o/. The gloss shows that the wise man is the object of "to revere". Therefore, the wise is the revered one, with a passive meaning