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Wed, 08/28/2024 - 21:20

Word-form

ἧπαρ

Transliteration (Word)

hēpar

English translation (word)

liver

Transliteration (Etymon)

hēdomai

English translation (etymon)

to rejoice

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

idem

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 "to rejoice", *ēdar and hēpar, for in it lies the sense of pleasure and of desire

Comment

Derivational etymology, requiring one formal change, that of the consonant. The etymon has an initial aspiration as the lemma. The liver was considered to be the siege of pleasure, which explains this etymology

Parallels

Choeroboscus, De spiritibus (excerpta), p. 203 (καὶ ἧπαρ, ὅπερ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἥδω ἐστίν.); 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. Gudianum, eta, p. 246 (Ἧπαρ, παρὰ τὸ ἥδω, ἧδαρ καὶ ἧπαρ, δι’ αὐτοῦ γὰρ εὐφραινόμεθα. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἄρδειν τὸ σῶμα τῷ σώματι· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἠσθικὸν καὶ ὀρεκτικὸν ἡδονῆς εἶναι. ὁ δὲ Χρύσιππος παρὰ τὸ ἡδὺ φησὶν εἶναι, πεπηγὸς γὰρ αἷμα, τὸ δὲ αἷμα φυσικῶς γλυκύ); 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); Commentaria in Dionysii Thracis Artem grammaticam, Scholia Marciana, p. 363 (ἥδω τὸ ἐπιθυμῶ, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ἧπαρ, ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ τὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας)

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