λύη

Word

Validation

No

Last modification

Fri, 04/05/2024 - 22:25

Word-form

δύη

Transliteration (Word)

duē

English translation (word)

misery, hardship

Transliteration (Etymon)

luē

English translation (etymon)

dissolution

Author

Etym. Gudianum

Century

11 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etym. Gudianum, delta, p. 381

Ed.

E.L. de Stefani, Etymologicum Gudianum, fasc. 1 & 2, Leipzig: Teubner, 1:1909; 2:1920 (repr. Amsterdam: Hakkert, 1965)

Quotation

Δυηπαθείας <Agath. Hist. 3, 1>· <ib.> „ἄνευ πόνου καὶ δυηπαθείας“· κακοπαθείας, δυστυχίας· δύη γὰρ ἡ κακοπάθεια, λύη τις οὖσα, ἡ λύουσα τὰ μέλη. ὅθεν καὶ δοῦλος, ὁ δυστυχῶς καὶ κακῶς πάσχων, δύηλός τις ὤν.

Translation (En)

Duēpatheias, "without pain and misery (duēpatheias)". Suffering, hardship. For duē "misery" is the suffering, a kind of dissolution (luē), the one that breaks the limbs. From there comes doulos "slave", the one who suffers a painful and bad fate, a *duēlos, as it were

Comment

Derivational etymology requiring only one change of the initial consonant. Misery is that which breaks the body apart. The etymology builds on the common metaphor in Homer λύειν γούνατα "to break the limbs" of the opponent.

Parallels

Lexicon αἱμωδεῖν, delta 3 (idem); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 290 (Δύη: Ἡ κακοπάθεια· οἷον, ‘[ἦ γάρ με] δύη ἔχει ἤλιθα πολλή’. Ἀπὸ τοῦ δῶ, τὸ δεσμεύω· ὅθεν, ‘Συνδεῖτε ταχέως τουτονὶ τὸν κυνοκλόπον’. Οὗ παράγωγον, δέω· ἀφ’ οὗ, ‘Πῶς ἂν ἐγώ σε δέοιμι;’ Ὀδυσσείας θʹ, ἀντὶ τοῦ δεσμεύοιμι, κρατοῖμι· καὶ δεμὸς καὶ δεσμὸς, ὡς θέω, θεσμός. Ἀπὸ τοῦ δέω οὖν γίνεται δύω, ὡς ῥέω ῥύω ῥύσις, καὶ χέω χύω χύσις. Δύω οὖν δύη, ἡ συνδεδεμένη τῷ πάσχοντι· ἢ ᾗτινι συνδέδεταί τις δυστυχίᾳ κακοπαθῶν. Ἢ λύη τις οὖσα, ἡ λύουσα τὰ μέλη· ὅθεν καὶ δοῦλος ὁ δυστυχὴς καὶ κακῶς πάσχων, δύηλός τις ὤν)

Modern etymology

The connection with δαίω "to burn" (Beekes, EDG) is probably incorrect. See Le Feuvre (forthcoming)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre