δίειμι

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Fri, 11/01/2024 - 10:45

Word-form

δυάς

Transliteration (Word)

duas

English translation (word)

dyad, group of two, the number two

Transliteration (Etymon)

dieimi

English translation (etymon)

to go through

Author

Iamblichus

Century

3-4 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Theologoumena arithmeticae, p. 9

Ed.

V. de Falco, [Iamblichi] theologoumena arithmeticae, Leipzig: Teubner, 1922

Quotation

ὅτι δυὰς λέγεται παρὰ τὸ διιέναι καὶ διαπορεύεσθαι· πρώτη γὰρ ἡ δυὰς διεχώρισεν αὑτὴν ἐκ τῆς μονάδος, ὅθεν καὶ τόλμα καλεῖται· τῆς γὰρ μονάδος ἕνωσιν δηλούσης, ἡ δυὰς ὑπεισελθοῦσα διαχωρισμὸν δηλοῖ.

Translation (En)

For duas "dyad" is named from diienai "to go through" and to make one's way through. For the dyad was the first to separate itself from the monad, and for that reason it is called "boldness". For as the monad denotes union, the dyad, coming in, denotes separation

Comment

Derivational etymology. The real etymon is the preverb δια- indicating separation, rather than the verb δίειμι itself, which does not mean "to separate" or "to stand apart". In other sources the assumed etymon δίειμι is glossed by διίσταμαι, which is the intended meaning "to stand apart". However, it was difficult to derive a numeral from a preverb, therefore Iamblichus (or, rather, his source) starts from a verb, applying to δίειμι the meaning the preverb has in διίσταμαι, to create the notion of motion with separation. The Etym. Magnum gives the lemma as δίειναι instead of διιέναι: it may be a mistake or a correction from the part of the copyist who did not understand διιέναι, since it means "to go through"

Parallels

David, Prolegomena philosophiae, p. 50 (idem); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, delta 56 (δυάς: παρὰ τὸ διϊέναι· †μόνη γὰρ πρώτη ἡ δυὰς† διΐστατο ἀπὸ τῆς μονάδος, ὅθεν οἱ Πυθαγόρειοι τόλμαν αὐτὴν εἶπον); Ps.-David et Ps.-Elias, In Porphyrii isagogen commentarium, Praxis 9, p. 5 (Δυὰς τοίνυν λέγεται παρὰ τὸ διήκειν καὶ διεξιέναι ἐπὶ κίνησιν ἀπὸ τῆς μονάδος τῷ πρώτην ταύτην τολμῆσαι διεξιέναι ἀπὸ τῆς μονάδος. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτῆς. αὕτη δὲ ἡ δυὰς ἐπὶ κακῷ λέγεται, ‘δύσφημος’, ‘δύσπορος’, ‘δυστυχής’, ‘δυσχερής’· ἀλλὰ καὶ ποιητικῶς κακοφημεῖται ὁ βʹ οὗτος ἀριθμός, ‘Δύσπαρι, εἶδος ἄριστε, γυναικομανές, ἠπεροπευτά’, ὥσπερ τῆς μονάδος τὸ ἕνα ἐπὶ ἀγαθῷ, ‘ἐνηέα τε κρατερόν τε’); Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.16a (δύω: δεῖ γινώσκειν ὅτι τὸ δύω Ἀττικόν ἐστι· διὸ καὶ μέγα γράφεται. | γέγονε δὲ παρὰ τὸ διϊέναι· †μόνη γὰρ πρώτη†· ἡ δυὰς διΐσταται ἀπὸ τῆς μονάδος· ὅθεν οἱ Πυθαγορικοὶ τόλμαν αὐτὴν εἶπον); Etym. Parvum, delta 2 (Δυάς· παρὰ τὸ διϊέναι· μόνη ἡ δυὰς πρώτη διΐσταται ἀπὸ τῆς μονάδος· ὅθεν οἱ Πυθαγορικοὶ τόλμαν αὐτὴν εἶπον); Etym. Gudianum, delta, p. 380 (Δυάς· παρὰ τὸ διϊέναι· μόνη γὰρ πρώτη ἡ δυὰς διΐσταται ἀπὸ τῆς μονάδος, ὅθεν οἱ Πυθαγορικοὶ τόλμαν αὐτὴν εἶπον. ‖ ἢ παρὰ τὸ διήκειν καὶ διεξιέναι. ἢ παρὰ τὸ συνδεδέσθαι τῷ <αʹ> ἀριθμῷ· τὸ γὰρ ἓν ἀπολελυμένον ἐστίν· ἔστι γὰρ δώ δύω <ὡς> ῥέω ῥύω χέω χύω. ἢ παρὰ τὸ διϊέναι μόνη· καὶ γὰρ ἡ δυὰς πρώτη διΐσταται ἀπὸ τῆς μονάδος); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, delta, p. 380-381 (Δυάς· παρὰ τὸ διϊέναι καὶ διαπορεύεσθαι· πρώτη γὰρ ἡ δυὰς διεχώρισεν ἑαυτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς μονάδος. τῆς γὰρ μονάδος ἕνωσιν δηλούσης ἡ δυὰς διαχωρισμὸν δηλοῖ, διὸ καὶ τόλμαν αὐτὴν οἱ Πυθαγόρειοι καλοῦσιν, ὡς τολμήσασαν ἐκστῆναι τῆς μονάδος, καὶ ἀποφράδα, ὡς ἐπὶ κακῷ λαμβανομένη<ν>); 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. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ διεῖναι· μόνη γὰρ πρώτη ἡ δυὰς διΐσταται ἀπὸ τῆς μονάδος· ὅθεν οἱ Πυθαγόρειοι τόλμαν αὐτὴν εἶπον. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ δύο, δυάς)

Modern etymology

Derivative of δύο

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has δυάδα "group of two" as a learned word

Entry By

Le Feuvre