βοῦς + βαίνω
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Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
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Quotation
Βουβών, ἐπὶ τοῦ συμβαίνοντος οἰδήματος, παρὰ τὸ ἄγαν βαίνει<ν> εἰς ὕψος· βῶ οὖν βῶν, καὶ ἐπιτατικοῦ μορίου τοῦ βοῦ βουβὼν, ὡς βούπαις, βουγάϊος, βούλιμος.
Translation (En)
Boubōn "swollen gland", for the swelling that occurs, from "to go" (bainein) "much" (agan) upward. *Bô yields *bôn, and with the intensive prefix bou-, boubōn, as boupais "big boy", bougaïos "braggart", boulimos "huge hunger"
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, beta, p. 281 (idem); Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 110 (Βουβῶνας δὲ ὠνόμασαν τοὺς εἰρημένους τόπους, ἀπὸ τοῦ συμβαίνοντος οἰδήματος ἐν αὐτοῖς· ἐκ τοῦ βῶ τὸ βαίνω· παρὰ τὸ ἄγαν βαίνειν εἰς ὕψος· βῶ, βὼν, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ βοῦ ἐπιτατικοῦ μορίου, βουβών); Leo Medicus, De natura hominum synopsis 72 (βουβῶνας δὲ ὠνόμασε τοὺς εἰρημένους τόπους ἀπὸ τοῦ συμβαίνοντος οἰδήματος ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἐκ τοῦ βῶ, τὸ βαίνω); Etym. Genuinum, beta 198 (Βουβών (Soran. fr. 26 Scheele)· τὸ παρ’ ἑκάτερα τῆς ἥβης μέρος ἐν ἀρχῇ τῶν † μερῶν κείμενον. εἴρηται δέ, ὅτι τοῦ βαίνειν ἐστὶν ὑπηρέτης· παρὰ γὰρ τὸ βῶ ῥῆμα γίνεται βών καὶ κατὰ σύνθεσιν τοῦ βου τοῦ σημαίνοντος τὸ μέγα, ὡς ἐν τῷ βουγάϊος βούλιμος, γίνεται βουβών, ὁ μεγάλως βαίνων, ἢ δι’ οὗ μεγάλως βαίνομεν); ibid., beta 199 (Βουβών (Men. arat. 51)· λέγεται καὶ τὸ πάθος, ὅπερ τινές φασι βομβῶνα, ὡς λέγει Ἡρωδιανὸς ἐν τῇ Καθόλου (I 23, 1)· Μένανδρος ἐν τῷ Γεωργῷ, οἷον (l. c.)· ‘βουβὼν ἐπήρθη τῷ γέροντι’· καὶ ῥῆμα παρ’ αὐτὸ βουβωνιῶ. δύναται δὲ καὶ τὸ πάθος εἰρῆσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπαίρεσθαι καὶ μεγάλως βαίνειν εἰς οἴδημα); Etym. Gudianum, beta, p. 280 (Βουβῶνα· παρὰ τοῦ βῶ, τὸ βαίνω, γίνεται βῶν[α] καὶ μετὰ τοῦ ἐπιτατικοῦ βου γίνεται βουβών, τὸ εἰς ὕψος βαῖνον. σημαίνει δὲ τὸ πάθος. | Βουβών· ἀπὸ τοῦ συμβαίνοντος οἰδήματος, παρὰ τὸ ἄγαν βαίνειν εἰς ὕψος. <βῶ οὖν βῶν> καὶ μετὰ τοῦ ἐπιτατικοῦ μορίου <τοῦ βου> βουβών, ὡς βούπαις βουγάϊος); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 206 (Βουβών: Τὸ παρ’ ἑκάτερα τῆς ἥβης μέρος, ἐν ἀρχῇ τῶν μηρῶν κείμενον. Εἴρηται δὲ, ὅτι τοῦ βαίνειν ἐστὶν ὑπηρέτης. Παρὰ γὰρ τὸ βῶ γίνεται βών· καὶ συνθέσει τοῦ ἐπιτατικοῦ βοῦ γίνεται βουβὼν, ὁ μεγάλως βαίνων, ἢ δι’ οὗ μεγάλως βαίνομεν. Βουβὼν λέγεται καὶ τὸ πάθος τὸ εἰς ὕψος βαῖνον· ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπαίρεσθαι, καὶ μεγάλως βαίνειν εἰς οἴδημα); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 474 (βουβών (Men. Arat. 51)· τὸ πάθος, ὅπερ τινὲς βομβῶνα λέγουσιν· Ἡρωδιανός (I 23,1)· (l. c.)· ‘βουβὼν ἐπήρθη τῷ γέροντι’. τὸ ῥῆμα βουβωνιῶ· <Ἀριστοφάνης (Ran. 1280)· ‘ἐγὼ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν κόπων γὰρ τὼ νεφρὼ βουβωνιῶ’.> καὶ τὸ πάθος εἰρῆσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπαίρεσθαι καὶ μεγάλως βαίνειν εἰς οἴδημα); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, beta, p. 398 (Βουβών. τὸ πάθος, ὅπερ τινὲς βομβῶνα λέγουσι.[Ἡρωδιανός·] ‘βουβὼν ἐπήρθη τῷ γέροντι’. καὶ ῥῆμα βουβωνιῶ εἴρηται, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπαίρεσθαι, καὶ μεγάλως βαίνειν εἰς οἴδημα)
Comment
Compositional etymology meant to account for the meaning "swollen gland, edema", rather than for the primary meaning "groin". The edema is so called because it rises upward by an excessive swelling. The first member is assumed to be the intensive prefix βου- "big", abstracted from compounds like βούλιμος, lit. "ox-hunger", and the second member is related to the monosyllabic verb *βῶ "to go", pref-room of βαίνω in Philoxenus' theory. The etymology may go back to Philoxenus (Scheele ascribes it to Soranus but there is no factual argument). Later sources also assume the same etymology for "groin", because it is the place where the legs are joined to the body, therefore it is the place that allows us to walk.