ἐνίημι

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No

Last modification

Tue, 08/27/2024 - 11:05

Word-form

ἡνίαι

Transliteration (Word)

hēnia

English translation (word)

reins

Transliteration (Etymon)

eniēmi

English translation (etymon)

to throw into

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, eta, p. 67

Ed.

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

Quotation

Ἡνίαι. παρὰ τὸ ἐνίεσθαι, ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν τῶν ὑποζυγίων.

Translation (En)

Hēniai "reins", from eniesthai "to be thrown into". Or from the union of the yoked animals

Comment

Derivational etymology, starting from a combination preverb+verb and retaining from it the preverb and the reduplication en-i-, which provide the base /eni/, which becomes /ēni/ by lengthening of the /e/ (implicit in Orion). The initial aspiration of ἡνίαι is not taken into account. The reins, are etymologized by the fact they are "thrown" at the head of the horse

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum,eta, p. 245 (Ἡνία, τὰ λῶρα, οἱ χαλινοὶ, παρὰ τὸ ἑνεῖσθαι, ἐπὶ ἑνώσει τῶν ὑποζυγίων. καὶ εἰς τὸ ἀπηνὴς καὶ ἀφηνιῶ); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 432 (Ἡνία: Λῶρα, χαλινούς· παρὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν· ἑνοῦται γὰρ δι’ αὐτῶν τὰ ὑποζύγια. Ἢ ἐκ τοῦ ἐνίεσθαι ἢ ἀνίεσθαι· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνύω, δι’ ἧς ἀνύομεν τοὺς ἵππους πρὸς τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδόν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἷς ἑνὸς, ἑνία καὶ ἡνία. Ἢ παρὰ τὸν ἥσω μέλλοντα); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, eta, p. 996 (Ἡνία. τὰ λῶρα. παρὰ τὴν ἕνωσιν τῶν ὑποζυγίων, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐνίεσθαι, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀνύω ἀνύα, δι’ ὧν ἀνύομεν τοὺς ἵππους πρὸς τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδόν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἷς ἑνὸς, ἑνία καὶ ἡνία, διὸ καὶ δασύνεται)

Modern etymology

Cognate with the Celtic word for "reins". PIE *h2ens-io- (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has ηνίο as a learned word

Entry By

Le Feuvre