ἐπαίρω

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No

Last modification

Wed, 08/28/2024 - 20:45

Word-form

ἧπαρ

Transliteration (Word)

hēpar

English translation (word)

liver

Transliteration (Etymon)

epairō

English translation (etymon)

to lift

Author

Herodian

Century

2 AD

Reference

Symposium, Lentz III/2, p. 905

Edition

A. Lentz, Grammatici graeci, vol. 3/2, Leipzig, 1870

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, eta, p. 68

Ed.

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

Quotation

Ἧπαρ. ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπήρθαι τὸ κεκυρτῶσθαι. Ὑψικράτης· ὅτι δι’ αὐτοῦ ἡ πάροδος τῆς τροφῆς. ὁ δὲ Ἡρωδιανὸς ἐν τῷ Συμποσίῳ, παρὰ τὸ ἐπαίρεσθαι φησὶν ἐπάρ τι ὂν καὶ ἧπαρ, τροπῇ τοῦ ε εἰς η. ἢ παρὰ τὸ <ἥ>δω, ἧδαρ, καὶ ἧπαρ. ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ τὸ τῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας   [NB: Sturz prints εἴδω]

Translation (En)

Hēpar "liver", from the fact it is suspended and rounded. Hypsikratēs, because of the arrival of food. But Herodian says in his Symposion that it comes from epairesthai "to be lifted", a *epar, as it were, and hēpar, by change of /e/ to /ē/. Or from <hē>dō, *ēdar and hēpar, for in it lies the sense of pleasure and of desire

Comment

Derivational descriptive etymology. The liver is "suspended" in the abdomen. The etymology requires a lengthening of the initial vowel. The etymon is a combination verb + prefer, and the preverb is kept in the lemma, while the -αρ is the radical of αἴρω. The initial aspiration is not accounted for.

Parallels

Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 102 ( λέγεται δὲ ἧπαρ, παρὰ τὸ ἐπῆρθαι καὶ κεκυρτῶσθαι· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐπαρδεύειν ὅλον τῷ σώματι αἷμα· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἥδω τὸ εὐφραίνω, ἧδαρ καὶ ἧπαρ· ἐν γὰρ τούτῳ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας· ὅτι καὶ Τιτυὸς διὰ τοῦ ἥπατος κολάζεται); Leo Medicus, De natura hominum synopsis 67 (λέγεται δὲ ἧπαρ παρὰ <τὸ> ἐπῆρθαι καὶ κυρτοῦσθαι ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρδεύειν τὸ σῶμα ὅλον αἵματι); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 433 (Ἧπαρ: Παρὰ τὸ ἐπῆρθαι καὶ κεκυρτῶσθαι· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐπαρδεύειν τῷ σώματι καὶ χορηγεῖν τὸ αἷμα· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἐπαίρεσθαι ἔπαρ, καὶ ἧπαρ· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἥδω, τὸ εὐφραίνομαι, ἧδαρ καὶ ἧπαρ· δι’ αὐτοῦ γὰρ εὐφραινόμεθα, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει τὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἔγκειται); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, eta, p. 1001 (Ἧπαρ. ὄργανον ἐξαιματώσεως τροφῶν. παρὰ τὸ ἐπῆρθαι καὶ κυρτῶσθαι. τινὲς δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐπαρδεύειν ὅλῳ τῷ σώματι τὸ αἷμα. ὁ δὲ Ἡρω- διανὸς παρὰ τὸ ἐπαίρεσθαι φησὶν, οἷον ἔπαρ τὶ ὂν καὶ ἦπαρ. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἥδω, τὸ εὐφραίνομαι, ἧδαρ καὶ ἧπαρ· ἐν γὰρ τούτῳ τῷ μέρει τὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἔγκειται. οὕτως Ὦρος ὁ Μιλήσιος)

Modern etymology

Old inherited name of the liver, from *Hyēkw-r̥. Cognate with Lat. jecur, Ved. yakr̥t (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has ήπαρ as a learned word (anatomical vocabulary)

Entry By

Le Feuvre