ἰκμάς
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
ἴκμενον· εἰ μὲν δασέως τὸν ἱκτικὸν λέγει, οἷον πορευτικόν, τὸν ἱκνεῖσθαι ποιοῦντα, ὅ ἐστιν πορεύεσθαι. εἰ δὲ ψιλῶς τὸν ἰκματώδη καὶ ἔνικμον, οἷον ἔνυγρον
Translation (En)
Ikmenos: if spelled with a rough breathing hikmenos, it means the one coming (iktikon), as going forward, the one that makes one arrive at destination, that is, to travel. But if it is spelled with a smooth breathing ikmenos, it is the moist one (ikmatōdē), full of moisture and watery
Parallels
Herodian, Peri pathôn, Lentq III/2, p. 252 (ap. Etym. Magnum, p. 470) (ἴκμενον: ἵκω ἱκόμενον καὶ συγκοπῇ ἴκμενον· σημαίνει δὲ τὸν πορευτικὸν ἢ ὑγρὸν παρὰ τὴν ἰκμάδα); D Schol. Il. 1.479 (Ἴκμενον. Ἤτοι πορευτικὸν, παρὰ τὸ ἱκνεῖσθαι. ἢ ὑγρὸν, ἀπὸ τῆς ἰκμάδος. καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἄλλοις φησὶν, ἀνέμων μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων); A and bT Schol. Il. 1.479 (ἴκμενον: ἰκμάδος γὰρ ὑδάτων ἀτμιζομένης τὸ διαχυθὲν ἄνεμόν τινες ἔφασαν· διὸ ψιλωτέον· οὐ γὰρ παρὰ τὸ ἱκνεῖσθαι. ἅμα δὲ φύσιν ἀνέμων διδάσκει· τὸ γὰρ στυγνὸν τοῦ λοιμοῦ διασκεδάζει ὁ ἄνεμος); T Schol. Il. 14.19a (διδάσκει ὅτι τὸ ἄνω θερμὸν τὸν ἀέρα κινοῦν ἄνεμον ποιεῖ, λῦον τὴν περικειμένην ὕλην· εἰσὶ γὰρ ἐξ ἰκμάδος, καὶ „ἴκμενον οὖρον“ (Α 479), καὶ Ἴκμιος Ζεὺς τιμᾶται, ὁ τῶν ἀνέμων δεσπότης (cf. Call. fr. 75, 34), b(BCE3E4)T καὶ „κοιμίσας δ’ ἀνέμους χέει ἔμπεδον“ (Μ 281). T); Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.479a (ἴκμενον: παρὰ τὸ ἄνωθεν ἱκνεῖσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς [this is the etymology of ἰκμάς]); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 1, p. 214 (καὶ φύσιν δὲ ἀνέμου διδάσκει, ὃς ἐξ ἰκμάδος ὑδάτων ἀτμιζομένης ὑπὸ ἡλίου γίνεται. διὸ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις φησίν· «ἀνέμων μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων». ὑγρότης γὰρ ὑλικὸν ἀνέμου αἴτιον, ὅθεν καὶ ψιλοῦται τὸ ἴκμενος ἀπὸ τῆς ἰκμάδος. ὅτι δὲ καὶ δασύνεται παρὰ τὸ ἱκέσθαι ὡς οἱονεὶ ἱκόμενός τις ὢν ἤγουν ἐπιτήδειος εἰς τὸ ἱκέσθαι, λέγουσι καὶ αὐτὸ οἱ παλαιοί, [ἵνα προσφυῶς ὁμοῦ εἴη τὸ ἵκμενος καὶ τὸ οὖρος, ὁ μὲν παρὰ τὸ ἱκέσθαι ὤν, ὁ δὲ παρὰ τὸ ὀρούειν, Ἰωνικῇ ἐπενθέσει τοῦ υ); ibid., vol. 2, p. 134 (Εἰ δὲ ἴκμενος οὖρος, ἤγουν ἄνεμος, παρὰ τὴν ἰκμάδα γίνεται); ibid., vol. 3, p. 569 (σημεῖον γὰρ ὄντως ἀνέμου τὸ τοιοῦτον, δηλοῦν ὡς τὸ ἐν τῷ περιέχοντι ἄνω θερμὸν κινεῖ τὸν ἀέρα ἤδη καὶ λύει τὴν παρακειμένην ὑγρὰν ὕλην, ὅθεν ἄνεμος ἔσται, ὃς ἐξ ἰκμάδος καὶ τοιαύτης ὕλης τὴν σύστασιν ἔχει. ὅθεν καὶ ἴκμενος οὖρος καὶ Ζεύς, φασίν, ἴκμενος); Eustathius, Comm. Od., vol. 1, p. 106 (Ἴκμενον δὲ καὶ νῦν οὖρον, ἢ τὸν ὑγρὸν λέγει παρὰ τὴν ἰκμάδα ὃ καὶ ἀρέσκει τοῖς παλαιοῖς ἐπεί περ ἀλλαχοῦ ἀνέμων μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων φησὶν, ἢ τὸν φορὸν καὶ εἰς τὸ ἱκέσθαι ἐπιτήδειον, ὡς οἱονεὶ ἱκόμενον); ibid., vol. 1, p. 120 (ἀλλ’ ἐπειδήπερ ἡ τῶν ἀνέμων ὕλη ἀτμίς ἐστιν οὐ μόνον ὑγρὰ ἀλλὰ καὶ ξηρὰ μάλιστα, ταυτὸν δὲ εἰπεῖν καπνώδης καὶ θερμὴ, διὸ τὸ μὲν ὑγρὸν ὁ ποιητὴς δηλοῖ ἐν τῷ, ἴκμενος οὖρος. καὶ ἀνέμων μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 470* (Ἴκμενον οὖρον: Φόρον ἄνεμον, ἤτοι πορευτικὸν, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱκνεῖσθαι, ἢ ὑγρὸν τὴν ἰκμάδα· καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἄλλοις ‘ἀνέμων μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων’. Ἰκμάδος γὰρ ὑδάτων ἀτμιζομένης τὸ διαλυθὲν ἄνεμος γίνεται· διὸ ψιλοῦται. Οὐ γὰρ παρὰ τὸ ἱκνεῖσθαι· ἅμα γὰρ φύσει ἀνέμων διδάσκει καὶ (l. ὅτι Cobet.) τὸ στυγνὸν τοῦ λοιμοῦ διασκεδάζει ὁ ἄνεμος); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, iota, p. 1101 (Ἰκμάς. ἡ ὑγρασία. [παρὰ τὸ ἵκω ἱκμὰς, ὅθεν καὶ ἴκμενον οὖρον. παρὰ τὸ ἱκνεῖσθαι. ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἱκμάδα.]); J. Tzetzes, Exegesis in Homeri Iliadem 1.478.27 (ἴκμενον· καὶ δασύνεται καὶ ψιλοῦται· ἐκ τοῦ ἵκομαι, ἱκόμενος καὶ ἴκμενος ὁ φόρος καὶ πορευτικὸς δασύνεται· ἴκμενος δὲ ὁ κάθυγρος, ὃν καὶ Ἀπόλλων ἥλιος ἐργάζεται, ἐκ τοῦ ἰκμὰς γινόμενον ψιλοῦται); Schol. Od. 2.420b2 Pontani (ἴκμενον οὖρον] ὅταν ἔχῃ τὸ “οὖρον” οὐ δεῖ γράφειν ἐν τῷ “ἴκμενον” εἰς τὸ ἰῶτα δασεῖαν. οὖρος γὰρ λέγεται ἀπὸ τοῦ κατ’ οὐρὰν τοῦ πλοίου πνέειν· γραπτέον οὖν ψιλὴν ἵνα σημαίνῃ τὸν δίυγρον); ibid., 420c Pontani (ἴκμενον: τὸν ἱκνεῖσθαι καὶ φέρεσθαι ποιοῦντα· ἢ δίυγρον καὶ ἁπαλόν); ibid., 420d1 (ἴκμενον: δίυγρον· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ “ἀνέμων μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων”); ibid. 420e1 (ἴκμενον] ἢ τὸν ἐπιτήδειον εἰς τὸ ἰέναι, ἢ τὸν ὑγρὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἰκμάδος); ibid., 420d2 (ἴκμενον] ὑγρόν / δροσώδη); ibid. 420e2 (ἴκμενον] ἐπιτήδειον / ἱκνεῖσθαι ποιοῦντα / πορευτικόν / ὁρμητικόν / τὸν φέρεσθαι ποιοῦντα <ἢ> ἀπὸ τῆς ἰκμάδος); Schol. Od. 11.7 Dindorf (ψιλωτέον τὸ ἴκμενον, ἤτοι ὑγρόν); Schol. Od. 15.292 Dindorf (ἴκμενον] δίυγρον, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰκμὰς, ἢ πορευτικόν); Geneva Schol. Il. 1.479 ([ἴκμενον] ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰκμάς· ἰκμάδος γὰρ ὑδάτων ἀτμιζομένης ἄνεμος γίνεται. διὸ ψιλωτέον—ὁ ἄνεμος); Schol. Aeschylum, Prom. 88 (ἐκ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ λέγειν ἐνιαχοῦ τοὺς ἀνέμους ἰκμένους, ἤτοι ἰκμώδεις καὶ καθύγρους, τὸ ὑλικὸν αὐτῶν αἴτιον λέγει, τὴν ἰκμάδα καὶ δρόσον)
Comment
Derivational etymology, which goes back to the Homeric scholia and which Lentz attributes to Herodian, although it may be older than Herodian. The spelling of the word was a matter of debate, since it is an epic word unknown in Attic. Two different meanings, each with his own etymology, were suggested. The etymology by ἰκμάς "moisture" is used to justify the smooth breathing and is allegedly backed by the collocation of "wind" and "moisture" in the Homeric line ἀνέμων μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντων "the strength of wetly blowing winds" (Od. 5.478). Eventually, ἰκμάς itself was derived from ἵκω (see ἰκμάς / ἵκω), so that the two etymologies suggested for ἴκμενος converge (see ἴκμενος / ἵκω). This may be the reason behind the explanation in the Epimerisms, ἴκμενον: παρὰ τὸ ἄνωθεν ἱκνεῖσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς: this wording is the etymology of ἰκμάς, and is never found for ἴκμενος, but since ἵκω and ἰκμάς, the two suggested etymons for ἴκμενος, are ultimately related in the eyes of Greek etymologists, one could without difficulty transfer the etymology of the one to the other