ῥέω

Validation

No

Last modification

Mon, 10/28/2024 - 12:00

Word-form

δρόσος

Transliteration (Word)

drosos

English translation (word)

dew

Transliteration (Etymon)

rheō

English translation (etymon)

to flow

Author

Choeroboscus

Century

9 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 183

Ed.

T. Gaisford, Georgii Choerobosci epimerismi in Psalmos, vol. 3, Oxford, 1842

Quotation

Δρόσος, παρὰ τὸ ῥέω, ῥόσος καὶ δρόσος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ Ζεὺς, Διὸς, καὶ τὸ δεύω τὸ ὁρμῶ καὶ βρέχω, δίοσος καὶ δρόασος, ἢ παρὰ τὸ δρῶ τὸ πράττω, ἡ σώους δρόωσα τοὺς καρπούς.

Translation (En)

Drosos "dew", from rheō "to flow", *rhosos and drosos. Or from Zeus, Dios, and deuō which means "to rush forward" and "to rain", *diosos and *droasos, or from drō "to act", the one making (droōsa) the crops healthy

Comment

Derivational etymology, requiring only one formal change, the addition of the initial consonant. The etymology relies on the regular e ~ o alternation (ῥέω ~ ῥόος "stream"). As dew is water, it can be said to "flow", even though it does not

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum, delta, p. 379 (Φωτίου Νικήτου Δρόσος <Jo. Dam. Canon. iamb. 3, 52>· παρὰ τὸ ὕω, τὸ βρέχω, ὕσος καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ υ εἰς ο <ὅσος καὶ δρόσος> πλεονασμῷ τῶν συμφώνων· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ῥέω ῥόσος καὶ δρόσος πλεονασμῷ τοῦ δ· ἢ παρὰ τὸ Ζεύς Διός καὶ τὸ σεύω, τὸ ὁρμῶ, δίοσος καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ δρόσος); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 287 (Δρόσος: Κατὰ παράλειψιν τοῦ ι· οἷον, ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Διὸς σοουμένη, δίοσός τις οὖσα· καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ρ, δρόσος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ὕω, τὸ βρέχω, ὕσος· καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ υ εἰς ο, καὶ πλεονασμῷ τῶν συμφώνων, δρόσος. […] Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ῥέω ῥόσος, καὶ δρόσος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ δρῶ, τὸ πράττω, καὶ τὸ σῶος, ἡ σώους δρῶσα τοὺς καρπούς); Joannes Mauropus, Etymologica nominum 45 (Ὕει δρόσον ῥέουσαν ὁ κρατῶν ὕδωρ)

Modern etymology

Unknown (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has δρόσος as a learned word

Entry By

Le Feuvre