ἔσω + φέρειν
Word
Validation
Yes
Word-form
ἑσπέρα
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
hespera
English translation (word)
evening
Transliteration (Etymon)
esō + pherein
English translation (etymon)
inside + to bring
Century
9 AD
Source
Idem
Ref.
Epimerismi in Psalmos, vol.3, p. 138, 18
Ed.
T. Gaisford, Georgii Choerobosci epimerismi in Psalmos, vol. 3, Oxford, 1842.
Quotation
Ἑσπέρα, παρὰ τὸ ἔσω φέρειν, ἐσωφέρα τις οὖσα, καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ ἑσπέρα
Translation (En)
Hespera (evening) comes from esō pherein (to bring inside), being somehow *esōphera (“brought inside”), and by syncope hespera
Parallels
First occurrence probably (among other options) in Schol. in Euripidem, Orestes 1260 (ed. E. Schwartz) : ἑσπέρα δὲ λέγεται, ὅτι τοῦ ἠοῦς πέρας ἐστίν. ἢ <ὅτι> τότε εἰς ἑαυτοὺς περῶμεν. ἢ ἐσωφέρα τις οὖσα, ἀπὸ τοῦ πάντας εἰσφέρειν καὶ ἔσω φέρειν. καὶ ἡ Σαπφὼ δὲ οὕτως τὸν ἕσπερον ἀστέρα εἶπε τρόπον τινὰ ἐτυμολογοῦσα τὸ ὄνομα [frg. 95]·’ἕσπερε πάντα φέρων ὅσα φαινολὶς ἐσκέδασ' αὔως. See Etymologicum Gudianum (Additamenta), E 538 (ed. De Stefani) : παρὰ τὸ ἔσω φέρειν, ἐσωφέρα τις οὖσα καὶ ἑσπέρα
Modern etymology
Cognate with Latin uesper, OCS večerъ, Arm. gišer, and with a different meaning Skr. kṣáp- "night", Hitt. išpant- "night" (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
Εσπέρα is still used in Modern Greek to designate the period between sunset and night (M. Triandafyllidis Dictionary of Modern Greek).
Entry By
Arnaud Zucker
Comment
This etymology (related to the commentary of Ps. 29.6) seems to be the antithesis of φωσφόρος because of the opposite movement expressed with the same verb φέρω, although the idea of light is here hinted. Moreover, φωσφόρος can designate the morning star and ἑσπέρος the evening star, which are actually the same (i.e. the planet Venus). *ἐσωφέρα is an artificial form. NB : a slightly different etymology is given in Et. Gud. E 538 (ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἔσω περᾶν). However, Sappho (fr. 104 Lobel Page) is supposed to have given the canonic and most ancient etymological motivation (see infra in Parallels Schol. in Euripidem, Orestes 1260) : ἕσπερε πάντα φέρων ὅσα φαινολὶς ἐσκέδασ' αὔως, with a first element ἠώς/αὔως (dawn) —quoted s. v. <Αὔως>· in Et. Genuin. A 1438.