τείρω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
τέρεν (Π 11): νῦν αἰτιατικῆς πτώσεως· ‘τέρεν κατὰ δάκρυ<ον> εἴβεις’ (Π 11). γίνεται παρὰ τὸ θέρω θέρεν καὶ τέρεν, τὸ ὥσπερ τεθερμασμένον καὶ διακεχυμένον καὶ ἁπαλόν· ‘αἶψα δ’ ἰαίνετο κηρός, ἐπεὶ κέλετο μεγάλη ἲς | <Ἠελίου τ’ αὐγή>’ (μ 175-76)· ὁ ὑπὸ θερμότητος δυνάμενος διαχυθῆναι, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἁπαλός. οἱ δὲ παρὰ τὸ τείρω τέρεν, τὸ ἁπαλόν, τὸ δυνάμενον καταπονηθῆναι· τὸ γοῦν μὴ τειρόμενον μηδὲ ἁπαλόν, ἀλλ’ ἰσχυρόν, ἀτειρές εἴρηται·
Translation (En)
Teren "tender": here in the accusative ‘teren kata dakruon eibeis’ (‘you drop soft tears’, Il. 16.11). It comes from therō "to heat", *theren and teen, that which as been warmed and dissolved, and is soft: ‘aipsa d' iaineto kēros, epei keleto megalē is | <ēeliou t' augē>’ (‘the wax soon melted, since the sun's mighty force compelled it’, Od. 12.175-176). That which can be dissolved by heat, that is, tender. But others say to comes from teirō "to oppress, to weaken", teren "soft", that which can be exhausted. Because what cannot be weakened and is not soft, but strong, is called ateirēs "indestructible"
Parallels
D Schol. Il. 13.180 (Τέρενα. Τρυφερὰ, ἁπαλὰ, ῥᾳδίως δυνάμενα τείρεσθαι); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 1, p. 618 (τέρεν δὲ δάκρυ τὸ ἐκ τειρομένης ψυχῆς); ibid., vol. 3, p. 795 (‘τέρεν κατὰ δάκρυον εἴβεις’, τὸ ἐκ τειρομένης δηλαδὴ καρδίας); ibid., vol. 4, p. 217 (ἀντίκειται δὲ πρὸς τὸ ἀτειρὲς καὶ τὸ τέρεν καὶ ἡ τέρεινα); ibid., vol. 4, p. 609 (σωμάτων γὰρ τὸ τείρεσθαι, ὅ ἐστι δαμάζεσθαι. ἀληθῶς δὲ σκληρὰ τροπὴ τὸ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. ὅθεν καὶ θυμός που λέγεται τείρεσθαι. ὅτε μέντοι χαλκὸς ἀτειρὴς ῥηθείη, καὶ τέρην χροῦς, καὶ τέρεν δάκρυον, τότε ἡ κυριολεξία διεκφαίνεται); Eustathius, Comm. Od., vol. 1, p. 210 (ἀπὸ τοῦ τείρω γάρ τινες ἐτυμολογοῦσι […] καὶ ὁ τέρην. οὗ περ οὐδέτερον μὲν, τέρεν ἢ δάκρυον ἢ εἴτι ἄλλο. θηλυκὸν δὲ, τέρεινα. οἷον. πάρεισι μόσχων τέρειναι σάρκες. ἤγουν ἁπαλαί. τοῦ δὲ τείρειν στέρησις ὥσπερ ὁ ἀτειρὴς, οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἀτέραμνον ἤγουν δυσέψητον ὄσπριον); Etym. Magnum Kallierges, p. 752 (Τὸ δὲ τέρην, γίνεται παρὰ τὸ τείρω, τὸ καταπονῶ· σημαίνει δὲ τὸν τρυφερὸν καὶ ἁπαλὸν, ἢ τὸν θερμὸν, ὡς τὸ, ‘τέρεν κατὰ δάκρυ χέουσα’· παρὰ τὸ θέρω θέρεν καὶ τέρεν, τὸ ὥσπερ τεθερμασμένον καὶ διακεχυμένον. Καὶ τέρεν, τὸ ἁπαλόν· παρὰ τὸ διακεχύσθαι καὶ μὴ τραχὺ εἶναι); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, tau, p. 1723 (Τέρεν, καὶ τέρην ἐπὶ ἀρσενικοῦ. παρὰ τὸ τείρω, τὸ καταπονῶ)
Comment
Derivational etymology starting from the assumption that τέρην and ἀτειρής are antonyms (this is explicit in Eustathius), therefore the etymology of the former is equated with the etymology of the latter. A different interpretation is found in Eustathius, who understands that the tear is "soft" because the soul is oppressed — that is, the adjective is the epithet of the tear but the etymon of the adjective applies to something different from the tear