ἕσις

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Last modification

Fri, 11/01/2024 - 10:05

Word-form

ἑνί

Transliteration (Word)

heis

English translation (word)

one

Transliteration (Etymon)

hesis

English translation (etymon)

sending forth

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, delta, p. 47

Ed.

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

Quotation

Δυάς. παρὰ τὸ συνδεδέσθαι ἄλλῳ ἀριθμῷ, τῷ ἑνί· τὸ γὰρ <ἓν> ἀπολελυμένον ἐστὶ, παρὰ τὸ ἕσιν καὶ ἄφεσιν   [Orion does not have the <ἕν>, which is preserved in the Gudianum]

Translation (En)

Duas "dyad", from sundedesthaι "to be linked" to another number, the number one (hen). For the latter is separated, it comes from hesis "action of letting go" and aphesis "action of letting go"

Comment

Derivational etymology. The "one" is the lonely one, therefore, that which somebody "let go" away from the group. The etymon ἕσις is the action noun matching ἵημι, and a formal change is required, the loss of intervocalic /s/. The interesting point is that, while the formal etymon is ἕσις, the semantic etymon is ἄφεσις, for ἕσις alone means "sending forth" rather than "letting go". Since ἄφεσις was correctly identified as a compound of ἕσις, the etymon has the form of the simple but the meaning of the compound

Parallels

Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, delta, p. 381 (Δυάς· παρὰ τὸ συνδεδέσθαι ἄλλῳ ἀριθ⟦μῷ⟧, τῷ ἑνί· τὸ γὰρ ἓν ἀπολελυμένον ἐστί, παρὰ τὴν ἕσιν καὶ ἄφεσιν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, delta, p. 579 (idem); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, epsilon 55 (εἷς […] γίνεται δὲ παρὰ τὴν ἕσιν καὶ ἄφεσιν, τὸ ἀπολελυμένον καὶ μεμονωμένον); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 123 (Ἑνός, ἡ εὐθεῖα εἷς, παρὰ τὸ ἕσιν καὶ ἄφεσιν οἱονεὶ τῷ μεμονωμένῳ καὶ ἀπολελυμένῳ); Etym. Gudianum, epsilon, p. 431 (idem); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, epsilon, p. 431 (Εἷς <Ps. 13, 3>· παρὰ τὴν ἕσιν καὶ ἄφεσιν τοῦ μεμονωμένου ἀριθμοῦ, ἢ παρὰ τὸ <... τὸ> ἀπολελυμένον καὶ μεμονωμένον); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 289 (Δυάς: Παρὰ τὸ δῶ, τὸ δεσμῶ· ἵν’ ᾖ ὁ ἐκ συνδέσεως πρῶτος ἀριθμὸς, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῆς μονάδος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ συνδεδέσθαι ἄλλῳ ἀριθμῷ, τῷ ἑνί· τὸ γὰρ ἓν ἀπολελυμένον ἐστὶ, παρὰ τὴν ἕσιν καὶ τὴν ἄφεσιν); ibid., p. 305 (Γίνεται δὲ εἷς παρὰ τὴν ἕσιν καὶ ἄφεσιν, ὁ ἀπολελυμένος καὶ μεμονωμένος).

NB: the etymology is found under an incomplete form together with the etymology of δυάς in the Etym. Gudianum, delta, p. 380, and the Etym. Symeonis, delta 371. See δυάς / δέω1

Modern etymology

Inherited word for "one". Within Greek, belongs with ἅμα "together", ὅμοιος "similar", copulative ἁ- etc. PIE *sem-, cognate with Lat. semel "once", simul "at the same time", similis "similar", Engl. same etc.

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has εις as a learned form. The usual word is ένας (after the accusative ἕνα)

Entry By

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