ἡδύς
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
ἧπαρ
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
hēpar
English translation (word)
liver
Transliteration (Etymon)
hēdus
English translation (etymon)
pleasant
Century
3 BC
Source
Etym. Gudianum
Ref.
Etym. Gudianum, eta, p. 246
Ed.
F.W. Sturz, Etymologicum Graecae linguae Gudianum et alia grammaticorum scripta e codicibus manuscriptis nunc primum edita, Leipzig: Weigel, 1818 (repr. Hildesheim: Olms, 1973)
Quotation
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.
Translation (En)
Hēpar "liver". From hēdō "to rejoice", *hēdar and hēpar. For we rejoice thanks to it. Or from ardein "to water" the body by the body. Or from the fact that it is pleasant and arouses pleasure. But Chrysippus says that it comes from hēdu "pleasant", for it is solid blood, and blood is by nature sweet
Parallels
There is no parallel
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
Comment
Derivational etymology, relying on a physiological conception according to which the liver consists of clotted blood. And blood is assume to be "sweet". As the etymology by ἥδομαι (see ἧπαρ / ἥδομαι), it requires a change of the consonant.