κοῖλος

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No

Last modification

Fri, 08/02/2024 - 23:52

Word-form

κόλποι

Transliteration (Word)

kolpos

English translation (word)

bosom, lap, fold, bay

Transliteration (Etymon)

koilos

English translation (etymon)

hollow

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, kappa, p. 80

Ed.

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

Quotation

Κόλποι. παρὰ τὴν κοιλότητα εἴρηνται.

Translation (En)

Kolpoi "folds". Thus called from their being hollow (koilotēta)

Comment

Derivational descriptive etymology. From the formal point of view, it requires a syncope in the intermediate form *koilpos (explicit in other sources). The etymon refers to a characteristic feature of the lemma.

Parallels

Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 140 (Κόλπος. παρὰ τὸ κοῖλον, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ βαθύ); Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 334 (Κόλπος, παρὰ τὸ κοῖλον, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ βαθὺ, κοῖλπος, καὶ ἀφαιρέσει τοῦ ι κόλπος· ἔστι δὲ κλῶ κλάσω, ἐξ αὐτοῦ γίνεται κλὸς, καὶ κατ’ ἀναδιπλασιασμὸν κόκλος, καὶ καθ’ ὑπέρθεσιν τοῦ λ, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ κ εἰς  π, κόλπος); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol.4, p. 438 (κόλπον δὲ τὴν περὶ τὸ ἧπαρ ἔφη τοῦ ἱματίου πᾶσαν κοιλότητα [implicit]); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 526 (Κόλπος: Παρὰ τὸ κοῖλον, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ βαθὺ, κοῖλπος· καὶ ἀφαιρέσει τοῦ ι, κόλπος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕπω, τὸ ἀκολουθῶ. Ἕπεται γὰρ τῷ κοίλῳ καὶ περιφερεῖ βάθει)

Modern etymology

Cognate with ONorse half, OEng. hwealf "vault", from *kwelp- "curve" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has κόλπος "gulf, bay", or "(anatomical) cavity" , as a learned word

Entry By

Le Feuvre