εἰλέω

Validation

No

Last modification

Sat, 08/17/2024 - 12:35

Word-form

εὐλαί

Transliteration (Word)

eulē

English translation (word)

worm

Transliteration (Etymon)

eileō

English translation (etymon)

to roll

Author

Porphyrius

Century

3 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Quaestionum homericarum liber i 14

Ed.

A.R. Sodano, Porphyrii quaestionum Homericarum liber i, Naples: Giannini, 1970

Quotation

καὶ «αἰόλαι» οὖν «εὐλαὶ» ἀπὸ τοῦ εἱλεῖσθαι ταχέως λέγονται, καὶ «σφῆκες μέσον αἰόλοι» οἱ κατὰ τὸ μέσον συνεχῶς κινούμενοι καὶ εἱλούμενοι

Translation (En)

And the worms (eulai) are called wriggling (aiolai), probably from the verb "to roll, to twist" (eileisthai), and the ‘sphēkes meson aiolon’ ("wasps whirling around in the middle") are those that continuously move and turn in the middle

Comment

Derivational etymology. In Porphyry's wording, it applies to αἰολαί "variegated, changing, quickly moving". However, this etymology is also the one regularly mentioned for εὐλή in contemporaneous sources, it is likely that the etymology is valid not only for the epithet but also for the noun. What Porphyry says is that the epithet is well chosen because it has the same etymon as the word to which it applies

Parallels

D Schol. Il. 19.26 (ἴσως δὲ εἴρηνται εὐλαὶ οἱ σκώληκες, παρὰ τὴν εἴλησιν); T Schol. Il. 26c (εὐλὴ ὁ σκώληξ ἀπὸ τῆς εἰλήσεως); b Schol. Il. 19.26d (ὀξυτόνως {δὲ} τὰς εὐλάς, ὅπερ ἀπὸ τῆς εἰλήσεως παρῆκται); Orion, Etymologicum, epsilon, p. 52 (Εὐλαί. σκώληκες, παρὰ τὴν εἴλησιν); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, epsilon 72 (εἰλέωσι (Β 294): ῥῆμα ὑποτακτικὸν ἐκ τοῦ εἰλῶ. τὸ ει δίφθογγος· διὰ τί; διότι εὑρέθη τὸ ε ἐν τῷ εὐλή, ὃ σημαίνει τὸν σκώληκα· γίνεται δὲ ἐκ τοῦ εἰλῶ, τὸ συστρέφω, εἰλή καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ι εἰς υ εὐλή); Etym. Gudianum, epsilon, p. 415 (Εἰλέωσιν <Β 294>· ... ῥῆμα ὑποτακτικόν· ἐκ τοῦ εἰλῶ. τὸ ει δίφθογγον, διότι εὑρέθη τὸ ε ἐν τῷ εὐλή, ὃ σημαίνει τὸν σκώληκα· γίνεται δὲ ἐκ τοῦ εἰλῶ, τὸ συστρέφω, εἰλή καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ι εἰς υ εὐλή); ibid., epsilon, p. 558 (Εὐλαί <Τ 26>· οἱ σκώληκες· παρὰ τὸ εἰλεῖσθαι, ὅ ἐστι κινεῖσθαι); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 309 (Εὐλαὶ δὲ εἴρηνται, παρὰ τὴν εἴλησιν, οἱ σκώληκες. Ἐκ τοῦ εἰλῶ, τὸ συστρέφω, εἰλή· καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ι εἰς υ, εὐλή); ibid., p. 298 (Εἶλαρ: […] τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ ἕλος ἑλῶ καὶ εἰλῶ· οἱονεὶ ὁ τόπος ὁ συγκλειόμενος ὑπὸ δένδρων. Τὸ ΕΙ, δίφθογγον· διότι εὑρέθη τὸ ε ἐν τῇ εὐλῇ, ὃ σημαίνει τὸν σκώληκα); ibid., p. 392 (Εὐλαί: Αἱ σκώληκες. Παρὰ τὸ εἰλῶ εἰλαὶ, αἱ εἰλούμεναι, καὶ εὐλαὶ, ὡς χαίνω, χαῦνος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸν αὐλὸν, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ἐπίμηκες, αὐλαὶ καὶ εὐλαί); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol.4, p. 278–279 (εὐλή, [ἡ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ μὲν κειμένη, γινομένη δὲ παρὰ τὸ εἰλεῖσθαι); ibid., vol. 4, p. 669 (Εὐλαὶ δὲ καὶ νῦν σκώληκες σαρκῶν παρὰ τὸ εἰλεῖσθαι τροπῇ τοῦ ι εἰς υ); ibid., vol. 4, p. 766 (Εὔληρα δὲ λέγει μὲν τὰ ἡνία. ἅπαξ δὲ καὶ τὴν τοιαύτην ἔφη λέξιν, ἐνταῦθα δηλαδή. γίνεται δὲ παρὰ τὸ εἰλεῖν, [ὅθεν καὶ ἡ εὐλή,] τροπῇ τοῦ υ εἰς ι, δι’ ὧν ἔστι τοὺς ἵππους εἰλεῖσθαι, ὅ ἐστι στρέφεσθαι); Etym. Symeonis, epsilon 936 (Εὐλάς· σημαίνει τοὺς σκώληκας, παρὰ τὸ εἱλῶ γίνεται εὐλή)

Modern etymology

Unknown (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre