νέομαι

Validation

No

Last modification

Sat, 08/17/2024 - 12:15

Word-form

νόστος

Transliteration (Word)

nostos

English translation (word)

return

Transliteration (Etymon)

neomai

English translation (etymon)

to return

Author

Suda

Century

10 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Suda, nu 501

Ed.

A. Adler, Suidae lexicon, 4 vols. [Lexicographi Graeci 1.1-1.4. Leipzig: Teubner, 1.1:1928; 1.2:1931; 1.3:1933; 1.4:1935]

Quotation

ὁ δὲ ποιητικὸς νόστος παρὰ τὸ νέω γίνεται

Translation (En)

And the poetic word nostos "return" comes from neō "to return"

Comment

Correct derivational etymology. The etymon is νέομαι, a medium tantrum verb, but the rule for Greek grammarians is to quote the verbal forms under the form of the active, even when it does not exist. The etymology is semantically easy, and formally relies on the alternation e ~ o, with addition of a suffix

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum, nu, p. 410 (Νόστος, παρὰ μὲν τῇ συνηθείᾳ ὁ γλυκασμὸς λέγεται νόστος, μεταφορικῶς δὲ, καὶ ἡ εἰς τὸν οἶκον ἀνακομιδὴ, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐδεσμάτων, ὡς φησὶν Ὅμηρος, οὐδὲν γλυκίον ἑῆς πατρίδος· γέγονε δὲ παρὰ τὸ νέω τὸ πορεύομαι, νέσω, νόστος καὶ νοστῶ νοστήσω); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 607 (Νόστος: Παρὰ τῇ συνηθείᾳ ὁ γλυκασμὸς λέγεται· μεταφορικῶς δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐδεσμάτων. Νόστος λέγεται καὶ ἡ εἰς τὸν οἶκον ἀνακομιδὴ καὶ ἀναστροφή· παρὰ τὸ τῆς πατρίδος ἡδύ· καὶ Ὅμηρος, ‘[Ὡς] οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος [οὐδὲ τοκήων | γίνεται’.] Παρὰ τὸ νέω, τὸ πορεύομαι, ὁ μέλλων, νέσω, νεστὸς, καὶ νόστος· καὶ νοστῶ νοστήσω· καὶ ἀπονοστήσειν, τὸ ἐπανελθεῖν, ὑποστρέψαι); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 1, p. 51 (εἰ μὴ ταχὺ μνήσεται νόστου, ὃς ἐκ τοῦ νέω παράγεται); ibid., vol. 4, p. 455 (Νέεσθαι δὲ νῦν οὐ τὸ ἐπανελθεῖν, ἐξ οὗ ὁ νόστος, ἀλλὰ τὸ πορευθῆναι ἤτοι κινηθῆναι, ὅθεν καὶ ὁ νόος καὶ ὁ νέος); Eustathius, Comm. Od., vol. 2, p. 177 (Τὸ δὲ, ὅπῃ οἱ νόστος, ἑρμηνεία ἐστὶ τοῦ νέεσθαι οἴκαδε. νόστος γὰρ ἡ εἰς οἶκον ὑποστροφή. διὸ καὶ ἅμα παραθεὶς ἔφη νέεσθαι οἴκαδε ὅπῃ οἱ νόστος); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, nu, p. 1405 (Νόστος. ἡ πρὸς τὸν οἶκον ἐπάνοδος. παρὰ τὸ νέω, τὸ πορεύομαι. νόστος καὶ ἡ τῆς γεύσεως ἀνάδοσις)

Modern etymology

Belongs with νέομαι, from PIE *nes-. Cognate with Goth. ganisan "to be saved", nasjan "to save", Ved. násate "to approach, to meet" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has νόστος as a learned word, referring to the return after a long travel or a long stay away from home

Entry By

Le Feuvre