θείνω

Validation

Yes

Word-form

παρθένος

Transliteration (Word)

parthenos

English translation (word)

maid, virgin

Transliteration (Etymon)

theinō

English translation (etymon)

to kill

Author

Etym. Gudianum

Century

11 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etym. Gudianum p. 454

Ed.

F.W.Sturz, Etymologicum Graecae linguae Gudianum et alia grammaticorum scripta e codicibus manuscriptis nunc primum edita, Leipzig: Weigel, 1818

Quotation

Παρθένος, παρὰ τὸ παραθέειν τὴν παιδικὴν ἡλικίαν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ θείνω τὸ φονεύω, θένος, καὶ μετὰ τῆς παρὰ προθέσεως παράθενος, καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ παρθένος, ἡ τὸ πῦρ τῆς πυρώσεως θανατοῦσα

Translation (En)

Parthenos "virgin", from the fact that she is running out of the age of childhood. Or from theinō "to kill", with prothesis *parathenos, and through syncope parthenos, she who kills the fire of burning desire

Comment

This weird etymology must rely on a play which is frequent in hellenistic poetry, that the virgin can both inflame desire and bring it to an end. The fact that θείνω never combines with παρα- did not bother Greek etymologists

Modern etymology

Unknown. The proposed reconstruction *pr-steno- "having protruding breasts" (Beekes, EDG) does not rest on anything serious

Persistence in Modern Greek

Παρθένος as a noun is used in MG to designate 1. Virgin Mary, 2. the constellation, 3. anyone who is born within the specific zodiac dates. As an adjective denotes anyone/anything untouched/unexplored (Triandafyllidis, Dict. of MG)

Entry By

Le Feuvre