καίω + ἔρα

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Last modification

Thu, 08/01/2024 - 22:45

Word-form

κέραμος

Transliteration (Word)

keramos

English translation (word)

potter's clay, clay vessel, pottery

Transliteration (Etymon)

kaiō + era

English translation (etymon)

to burn + earth

Author

Apollodorus of Athens

Century

2 BC

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, kappa, p. 80

Ed.

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

Quotation

Κέραμος. Ἀπολλόδωρος τὴν κεκαυμένην ἔραν, τουτέστι τὴν γῆν.

Translation (En)

Keramos "clay vessel". Apollodorus says it is the baked soil (kekaumenēn eran), that is, the earth

Comment

Compositional descriptive etymology. While the second etymon, ἔρα "earth", is preserved in the lemma, the first etymon "to burn", taken as an equivalent for "to cook, to bake" (although καίω never has this meaning in Greek), is reduced to the initial consonant.

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 315 (Κέραμος, Ἀπολλόδωρος φησὶ παρὰ τὴν κεκαυμένην ἔραν ἤγουν γῆν· ἔρα ἔραμος καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ κ κέραμος· οἱ δὲ παρὰ τὸ κεκάφθαι τῇ ἔρᾳ); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 315 (Κέραμος, Ἀπολλόδωρος φησὶ παρὰ τὴν κεκαυμένην ἔραν ἤγουν γῆν· ἔρα ἔραμος καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ κ κέραμος· οἱ δὲ παρὰ τὸ κεκάφθαι τῇ ἔρᾳ); ibid., p. 504 (Κεραμεύς: Παρὰ τὸ κέραμος· τοῦτο παρὰ τὴν ἔραν ἔραμος, καὶ κέραμος. Ἀπολλόδωρος τὴν κεκαυμένην γῆν ἔραν φησίν· οἱ δὲ, παρὰ τὸ κεκάφθαι τῇ ἔρᾳ); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, kappa, p. 1185 (Κεραμικός. ἀπὸ τοῦ κεραμεὺς, κεραμέως, κεραμεικὸς καὶ κεραμικός. καὶ κέραμος. παρὰ τὴν ἔραν ἔραμος, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ κ, κέραμος. οἱ δὲ παρὰ τὸ κεκαῦθαι τῇ ἔρᾳ)

Modern etymology

Unknown. Maybe connected with κεράννυμι "to mix" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has κέραμος as a learned word. The usual word is κεραμίδι "tile", from the old diminutive

Entry By

Le Feuvre