θέλω

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Last modification

Sun, 12/22/2024 - 13:20

Word-form

ἔλδω

Transliteration (Word)

eldomai

English translation (word)

to wish

Transliteration (Etymon)

thelō

English translation (etymon)

to be willing

Author

Etym. Magnum

Century

12 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etym. Magnum, p. 317

Ed.

T. Gaisford, Etymologicum magnum, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1848 (repr. Amsterdam: Hakkert, 1967)

Quotation

Ἐέλδωρ: Τὸ ἐπιθύμημα. Ἔστιν ἕλδω, τὸ ἐπιθυμῶ· ὅπερ γέγονεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἕλκω, κατὰ μετάθεσιν τοῦ κ εἰς δ· εἰς ὃ γάρ τις ἐπιθυμεῖ, ἐκεῖ ἕλκεται. Ἐκ τοῦ ἕλδω ἕλδωρ· καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ε, ἐέλδωρ. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἑλῶ, τὸ ἑλκύω, ἕλωρ, καὶ ἐέλδωρ, πλεονασμῷ. Τὸ δὲ ἐέλδω, παρὰ τὸ ἐέδω. Καὶ ἐελδόμενος· καὶ, ‘ἐέλδετο γάρ σε ἰδέσθαι’. Ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐπεθύμει· παρὰ τὸ θέλω, τοῦ θ τραπέντος εἰς δ, κατὰ Μακεδόνας, καὶ ὑπερθέσεως γενομένης· οἷον, θέλω, δέλω, ἔλδω καὶ ἔλδομαι· καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἐθέλω, ἐδέλω, καὶ ὑπερθέσει, ἐέλδω.

Translation (En)

Eeldōr "wish, desire". There is eldō "to wish", which comes from helkō "to draw", by change of the /k/ to /d/. For what one longs for, there they are drawn. From eldō, eldōr, and by addition of the /e/, eeldōr. Or from helō "to seize", "to drag", helōr, and eeldōr, by addition <of /e/>. And eeldō from eedō. And eeldomenos, and ‘eeldeto gar se idesthai’ ("for he was wishing to see you", Od. 4.162), instead of epithumei "she was desiring". From thelō "to be willing", the /th/ changed to /d/ as in Macedonian, and with a metathesis. That is, thelō, *delō, *eldō and eldomai. And from ethelō "to be willing", *edelō, and by metathesis, eeldō

Comment

Derivational etymology. Its starting point is the coexistence of ἔλδομαι and ἐέλδομαι. Therefore, the difficulty, usually solved by a pathos (the addition of /e/ in ἐέλδομαι) is solved by the etymology: the verb comes from a verb of similar meaning which itself has a two variants, θέλω and ἐθέλω. The etymology implies one formal change, a metathesis, and a dialectal treatment, observing that Macedonian has voiced stops where other Greek dialects have aspirate stops (Βερενίκη / Φερενίκη). The etymologist did not raise the question how a Macedonian form could end up in Homer

Parallels

Etym. Symeonis, epsilon 284 (Ἔλδομαι· ἐπιθυμῶ· παρὰ τὸ θέλω, τοῦ θ τραπέντος εἰς δ κατὰ Μακεδόνας καὶ ὑπερθέσεως γενομένης, οἷον θέλω δέλω ἔλδω καὶ ἔλδομαι. Καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐθέλω ἐδέλω καὶ ὑπερθέσει ἐέλδω καὶ ἔλδομαι); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, epsilon, p. 619 (Ἐέλδομαι. ἐπιθυμῶ. παρὰ τὸ θέλω, τοῦ θ τραπέντος εἰς δ κατὰ Μακεδόνας, καὶ ὑπερθέσεως γενομένης. οἷον θέλω, δέλω, ἔλδω καὶ ἔλδομαι καὶ ἐέλδομαι ὑπερθετικῶς. ); Schol. Pindarum, O. 1.6 (Ἔλδεαι] Ἐπιθυμεῖς, ἐθέλεις. —Ἔλδεαι]* Ἔλδω, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου ἔλδομαι, τὸ ἐπιθυμῶ, τὸ γʹ ἔλδεται, ἀποβολῇ τοῦ τ ἰωνικῶς ἔλδεαι ἀντὶ το(ῦ) ἔλδῃ καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖς. Εἴρηται δὲ ἡ λέξις ἀπὸ τοῦ ἕλκω, κατὰ μετάθεσιν τοῦ κ εἰς δ· εἰς ὃ γάρ τις ἐπιθυμεῖ ἐκεῖ ἕλκεται· ἢ παρὰ τὸ (θέ)λω, τοῦ θ τραπέντος εἰς δ, κατὰ Μακεδόνας, καὶ ὑπερθέσεως γενομένης· οἷον θέλω, δέλω, ἔλδω καὶ ἔλδομαι· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕλω, τὸ προκρίνω· δῆλον γὰρ ὡς ἕλοιτο ἄν τις τὸ ἐπιθυμητόν. Εἰ δὲ δασύνεται τὸ ἑλεῖν ψιλοῦται δὲ τὸ ἔλδεσθαι, αἴτιον ἡ τοῦ δ ἐπένθεσις); ibid., O. 1.6 (Germ. Ἕλδεαι] ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐθέλω τραπέντος τοῦ θ εἰς δ κατὰ Μακεδόνας γίνεται ἐδέλω, καὶ ὑπερθέσεως γενομένης ἐέλδω, καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν ἕλδω καὶ ἕλδομαι· οἷον θέλω, δέλω· καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐθέλω ἐδέλω, καὶ καθ’ ὑπέρθεσιν ἐέλδω καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν ἕλδω καὶ ἕλδομαι)

Modern etymology

The older form is ἐέλδομαι < *h1weld- "to wish"; derivative ἐέλδωρ "wish". No cognate outside Greek (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No