ἀναπνέω

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Sat, 03/30/2024 - 09:35

Word-form

ὀμφαλῷ

Transliteration (Word)

omphalos

English translation (word)

navel

Transliteration (Etymon)

anapneō

English translation (etymon)

to breathe

Author

Aristotle

Century

4 BC

Source

idem

Ref.

Historia animalium 562a

Ed.

P. Louis, Aristote. Histoire des animaux, vols. 1-3, Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1:1964; 2:1968; 3:1969

Quotation

καὶ ἡ καρδία ἅμα τῷ ὀμφαλῷ ἀναφυσᾷ ὡς ἀναπνέοντος.

Translation (En)

And the heart breathes together with the navel, as the latter is a breathing body part

Comment

Derivational etymology, implicit in Aristotle, but explicit in later grammatical texts. It is likely that this etymology was already known in Aristotle's time, and that his wording refers to it. The etymon is a dialectal form of ἀναπνέω, namely ὀμπνέω, with Aeolic ὀν for ἀνά. It provides an initial sequence [omp], which could easily be turned into [omph]

Parallels

Orion, Etymologicum, omicron, p. 115 (Ὀμφαλός. κυρίως ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου σώματος εἴρηται ὀ<μ>πνεῖν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀναπνεῖν· παρ’ οὗ καὶ ὄμπνη ὁ Δημητριακὸς καρπός. τὸ δὲ βρέφος κατὰ γαστρὸς ὂν διὰ τοῦ ὀμφαλοῦ ἀναπνεῖ καὶ τρέφεται [NB: Sturz prints ὀπνεῖν[); Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 8 (τρέφεται γὰρ ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ τὸ ἔμβρυον, καὶ ἀναπνεῖ οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος, ἀλλ’ ἐκ τοῦ ὀμφαλοῦ, ἐξ αἱματικῶν μητρώων περιπτωμάτων· ὅθεν καὶ ὀμφαλὸς παρὰ τὸ ὀμπνεῖν εἴρηται, ὅ ἐστιν ἀναπνεῖν); Leo Medicus, De natura hominum synopsis 1 (πόθεν τρέφεται τὸ ἔμβρυον; καὶ πόθεν ἀναπνεῖ; τρέφεται ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀμφαλοῦ, ἀναπνεῖ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος καὶ τῶν ῥινῶν. πόθεν ὀμφαλός; παρὰ τὸ ὀμπνεῖν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀναπνεῖν); Etym. Gudianum, omicron, p. 428 (Ὀμφαλός, κυρίως ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου σώματος τὸ μέσον· καὶ εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ ὀμπνεῖν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀναμπνεῖν, παρ’ ὃ καὶ ὄμπνος ὁ δημητριακὸς καρπός· τὸ δὲ βρέφος κατὰ γαστρὸς ὂν διὰ τοῦ ὀμφάλου ἀναπνεῖ καὶ τρέφεται); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 625 (Ὀμφαλός: Κυρίως ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου σώματος κατὰ τὸ μέσον· εἴρηται ἀπὸ τοῦ εἶναι εἰς τὸ ἐμπνεῖν. Παρὰ οὖν τὸ ἐμπνεῖν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀναπνεῖν, γίνεται ὀμπναλός· καὶ κατὰ ἀποβολὴν τοῦ ν, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ π εἰς φ, ὀμφαλὸς, δι’ οὗ τὸ ἔμβρυον ἀναπνεῖ· τὸ γὰρ βρέφος, κατὰ γαστρὸς ὂν, περὶ αὐτὴν εἰλεῖται καὶ ἀναπνεῖ καὶ τρέφεται· ὅθεν καὶ τὴν Δήμητραν, τροφὸν οὖσαν, ὀμπνίαν ὀνομάζουσι Κυριανοὶ, (ὡς παρὰ Λυκόφρονι, ‘Καὶ κτῆσιν ἄλλην ὀμπνίαν κειμηλίων’) τὴν συντελοῦσαν πρὸς τὸ ζῆν, παρὰ τὸ πνέω· καὶ ὄμπνους, τοὺς Δημητριακοὺς καρπούς. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ φαλῷ ἐοικέναι· ἐκκρεμὴς γάρ ἐστιν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τῆς ἀποτομῆς. Εἴρηται δὲ μεταφορικῶς καὶ ἐπὶ ζυγοῦ καὶ ἀσπίδος, καὶ ἐπὶ ἄλλων τινῶν [ἐμπνεῖν is a (wrong) correction for ὀμπνεῖν]); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, omicron, p. 1447 (Ὀμφαλός. κυρίως ἐπὶ τοῦ ἡμετέρου σώματος κατὰ τὸ μέσον εἴρηται. παρὰ τὸ ὀμπνεῖν, ὅ ἐστιν ἀναπνεῖν, γίνεται ὀμπναλὸς καὶ ὀμφαλὸς κατὰ τροπὴν τοῦ π εἰς φ, καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ ν. ὀμφαλός ἐστι, δι’ οὗ τὸ ἔμβρυον ἀναπνεῖ· τὸ γὰρ βρέφος κατὰ γαστρὸς ὂν παρὰ αὐτὸν εἰλεῖται καὶ ἀναπνεῖ καὶ τρέφεται. ἢ παρὰ τὸ φαλῷ ἐοικέναι· ἐκκρεμὴς γάρ ἐστιν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τῆς ἀποτομῆς); Scholia in Nicandrum, Al. 348c (ἢ ὀμφαλόεσσαν τὴν τροφώδη παρὰ τὸν ὀμφαλόν· βρῶσις γὰρ G2X> <ὁ X> <ὀμφαλός, ἐπεὶ δι’ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔμβρυα πάντα τὴν τροφὴν δέχεται καὶ ἀναπνεῖ τοῦ στόματος μεμυκότος διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ὑγρῶν, ἵνα μὴ ἀπόληται)

Modern etymology

Old inherited name of the navel, cognate with Lat. umbilicus, Engl. navel, Germ. Nabel, OIrish imbliu (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has ομφαλός "navel" as the anatomical word or metaphorically in the meaning "center"

Entry By

Le Feuvre