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Ancient and Medieval Greek Etymologies

ἠλακάτη

Word

ἠλακάτη

Validation

No

Last modification

Thu, 08/15/2024 - 12:25

Word-form

ἠλακάτην

Word-lemma

LSJ

Etymon-lemma

LSJ

Transliteration (Word)

ēlakatē

English translation (word)

distaff

Transliteration (Etymon)

elaunō

English translation (etymon)

to drive

Author

Plato?

Century

5-4 BC

Source

idem

Ref.

Resp. 616e

Ed.

J. Burnet, Plato. Platonis Opera. Oxford University Press. 1903.

Quotation

ὀκτὼ γὰρ εἶναι τοὺς σύμπαντας σφονδύλους, ἐν ἀλλήλοις ἐγκειμένους, κύκλους ἄνωθεν τὰ χείλη φαίνοντας, νῶτον συνεχὲς ἑνὸς σφονδύλου ἀπεργαζομένους περὶ τὴν ἠλακάτην· ἐκείνην δὲ διὰ μέσου τοῦ ὀγδόου διαμπερὲς ἐληλάσθαι.

Translation (En)

for there were eight of the whorls in all, lying within one another, showing their rims as circles from above and forming the continuous back of a single whorl about the shaft, which was driven home through the middle of the eighth (P. Shorey)

Comment

Derivational functional etymology. The word ἠλακάτη, in the meaning "staff", is derived from ἐλήλαμαιι, perfect of ἐλαύνω. The staff is what has been "driven". It is not lear Plato understood this as an etymology, but it is clearly interpreted as an etymology by Proclus, in his commentary on the Republic, καὶ ὅτι παρὰ τὸ ἐληλάσθαι "and that it comes from ἐληλάσθαι" (see Parallels)

Parallels

Proclus, In Platonis Rem publicam commentarii, vol. 2, p. 214 (Εἰ δὲ διαμπερὲς ἐληλάσθαι διὰ πάντων φησὶν τὴν ἠλακάτην, συντόμως καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐξέφηνεν, δι’ ἣν ἠλακάτην τὸν ἄξονα προσείρηκεν, καὶ ὅτι παρὰ τὸ ἐληλάσθαι)