θείνω
Word
Validation
Yes
Word-form
παρθένος
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
parthenos
English translation (word)
maid, virgin
Transliteration (Etymon)
theinō
English translation (etymon)
to kill
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
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
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