ὠθέω

Validation

Yes

Last modification

Wed, 04/17/2024 - 17:00

Word-form

ὦτα

Transliteration (Word)

ous

English translation (word)

ear

Transliteration (Etymon)

ōtheō

English translation (etymon)

to thrust, to push

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, omega, p. 170

Ed.

F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820

Quotation

Ὦτα. Ἀπολλόδωρος μὲν, ἀπὸ τοῦ δέχεσθαι τὴν ὄσσαν· οἱ δὲ, δι’ ὧν ὠθεῖται ἡ φωνή· οἱ δὲ, κατὰ μετάθεσιν τοῦ π εἰς τ. ὠπά τινα ὄντα, παρὰ τὸ ὀπὰς ἔχειν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ δέχεσθαι τὴν ὄπα, ὅ ἐστι φωνήν. Ἡρακλείδης

Translation (En)

Ōta "ears": Apollodorus says it comes from the fact that they receive the voice (ossan). Others, that they are that through which the voice is pushed (ōtheitai). Others, by change of /p/ into /t/, that they are a kind of *ōpa, from the fact they have holes (opas). Or from the fact that they receive the opa, that is, the voice. Heraclides

Comment

Derivational etymology, meant to account for the stem ὠτ- found outside the nominative. The assumed etymon, ὠθέω, provides the initial /ō/ and a dental stop. This may suggest that the etymology dates back to a time when the θ was still a stop, not yet a fricative. Nevertheless, a deaspiration is needed. The etymology is semantically weird, since the ears do not push anything, nor are they pushed. "To push" is assumed as a link between the perceived object (the sound) and the perceiving organ (the ear). This etymology relies mainly on formal features, and semantics had to follow somehow

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum, omega, p. 583 (Ὦτα, παρὰ τὸ ὠθούμενον καὶ εἱλικτὸν εἰσέρχεσθαι ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ πνεῦμα, ἤτοι ἄνεμον, καὶ πάντα ἦχον. Ἀπολλόδωρος δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ δέχεσθαι τὴν ὄσσαν· οἱ δὲ δι’ ὧν ὠθεῖται ἡ φωνὴ, οἱ δὲ κατὰ μετάθεσιν τοῦ π εἰς τ, ὤπα τινα ὄντα, παρὰ τὸ ὀπὰς ἔχειν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ δέχεσθαι τὴν ὄπα, ὅ ἐστι τὴν φωνήν· οὕτως Ἡρακλείδης); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 825 ( Ὦτα: Ἀπολλόδωρος μὲν, ἀπὸ τοῦ δέχεσθαι τὴν ὄσσαν· οἱ δὲ, δι’ ὧν ὠθεῖται ἡ φωνή. Οἱ δὲ φασὶ, κατὰ μετάθεσιν τοῦ π εἰς τ, ὄπα τινὰ ὄντα, παρὰ τὸ ὀπὰς ἔχειν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ δέχεσθαι τὴν ὄπα, ὅ ἐστι τὴν φωνήν. Οὕτως Ἡρακλείδης); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, omega, p. 1897 (Ὦτα. τὰ ὦτα. Ἀπολλόδωρος παρὰ τὸ δέχεσθαι τὴν ὄσσαν. οἱ δὲ, δι’ ὧν ὠθεῖται ἡ φωνή. οἱ δὲ κατὰ μετάθεσιν τοῦ π εἰς τ, ὦπα τινὰ ὄντα, παρὰ τὸ ὀπὰς τινὰ ἔχειν)

Modern etymology

Old inherited name of the ear, cognate with Lat. auris. PIE *h2eus-. Within Greek, belongs with παρειά "cheek" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No. MG has ωτ- only in medical terms of the learned vocabulary

Entry By

Le Feuvre