ἐλαύνω
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
ἐρέσσω
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
eressō
English translation (word)
to row
Transliteration (Etymon)
elaunō
English translation (etymon)
to drive, to draw
Century
1 BC
Reference
fr. 487*
Edition
C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976
Source
Orion
Ref.
Etymologicum, epsilon, p. 59
Ed.
F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820
Quotation
ἐρέτης· ἐλῶ ἐλέσσω παράγωγον, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ λ εἰς ρ ἐρέσσω καὶ ἐρέτης.
Translation (En)
Eretēs "rower": elô "to drive", derivative *elessō, and by change of /l/ to /r/, eressō "to row" and eretēs
Parallels
Etym. Genuinum, s.v. ἐρέσσειν (ἐρέσσειν· ... παρὰ τὸ ἐλῶ, τὸ ἐλαύνω, γέγονε ἐλέσσω καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ λ εἰς ρ ἐρέσσω, ὅθεν καὶ ἐρέτης); Etym. Gudianum, epsilon, p. 520 (Ἐρέτης· ὁ κωπηλάτης· παρὰ τὸ ἐρέσσω· τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ ἔλω, τὸ ἐλαύνω, ἐλέσσω καὶ ἐρέσσω); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 370 (Ἐρέσσειν: Τὸ κωπηλατεῖν. Παρὰ τὸ ἐρῶ ἢ ἐλῶ, παράγωγον ἐλέσσω, καὶ ἐρέσσω· ὅθεν καὶ ἐρέτης)
Modern etymology
Belongs with ἐρέτης "rower", ἐρετμόν "oar", τρι-ήρης "trireme". Cognate with Lat. rēmus "oar", Ved. aritár- "rower", and Engl. row (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
No
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Derivational etymology requiring one formal change, which relies on the existing interchanges between /r/ and /l/ correctly identified by Greek grammarians (and linguistically resulting from the dissimilation of liquid consonants). Semantically, the etymology was easy because ἐλαύνω, here under the form ἐλάω, means "to drive" but also "to propel a ship, to row" (νῆα ἐλάαν Od. 12.109), and the compound κωπηλάτης, lit. "oar-driver", means "rower".