θρίξ
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Ὁ δὲ θριγκὸς ἤγουν ἡ τῶν τοίχων κόμη ἢ στεφάνη ἢ στεφάνωσις, παρὰ τὴν τρίχα γίνεται, τριχός. καὶ ἐπενθέσει τοῦ ν πρός τε καλλιφωνίαν καὶ διαφορὰν τῆς τριχός, γίνεται τριγχός. ἀλλαγέντων δὲ τῶν ἀφώνων εἰς τὰ ἀντίστοιχα τούτοις, γίνεται θριγκός. ἤγουν φραγμὸς ὑπερκείμενος καὶ οἱονεὶ τριχῶν δίκην κοσμῶν. ἔχει δὲ ἡ λέξις καὶ ἀναδρομὴν γενικῆς τῆς τριχὸς, εἰς εὐθείαν τὴν, ὁ τριγχός. ἐξ οὗ ὁ θριγκός.
Translation (En)
The thrinkos "cornice", that is, the "hair" or crown or crowning of the wall, comes from thrix "hair", <genitive> trios. And by insertion of /n/ for euphony and in order to distinguish it from trikhos "hair", it becomes *trinkhos. And by change of the voiceless into their opposite, it becomes thrinkos. That is to say, it is a piece that stands above <the wall> and decorates it as a hair. And the word has its origin in the genitive trikhos, feminine, which becomes a nominative, *trinkhos, masculine, from which thrinkos
Parallels
Suda, theta 497 (Θριγκός: τὸ περίφραγμα τοῦ οἴκου, στεφάνη, μικρὸν τειχίον, περίβολος. ἢ τῶν οἰκιῶν τὰ ἀνωτάτω. μεταφορικῶς ἀφ’ ἡμῶν, διότι τὰ ἀνωτάτω σώματα ἡμῶν θριξὶ περιπέφρακται); Eustathius, Comm. Od., vol. 2, p. 58 (Θριγκῶσαι δὲ τὸ χαρακῶσαι, ἢ στεφάνην καὶ οἷον τρίχα τινὰ ἐπιθεῖναι οἰκοδομήμασιν, ἢ καὶ ἄλλοις φραγμοῖς, κόσμου ἢ ἀσφαλείας χάριν. ἀπὸ τῆς τριχὸς γὰρ ὁ θριγκὸς κατὰ ἀντιστοιχίαν συμφώνων, ὡς προγέγραπται. διὸ παρὰ πολλοῖς τῶν ῥητόρων καὶ τριγχίον γράφεται); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 319 (Ἐθρίγκωσε: Περιεσκέπασε, περιετείχισε. Θριγκὸς δὲ ἡ στεφάνη, μεθ’ ἣν οὐδέν ἐστιν. Ἀπὸ τοῦ θρὶξ δέ ἐστιν, ᾗ ἐπίκειται ἡ στεφάνη, ὑπεράνω πάντων οὖσα); Etym. Symeonis, epsilon 110 (Ἐθρίγγωσε· περιεσκέπασε, περιετείχισε· θριγγὸς δέ ἐστι ἡ στεφάνη μεθ’ ἣν οὐδέν ἐστι· ἀπὸ τοῦ θρὶξ δέ ἐστι ὑπεράνω πάντων οὖσα); Schol. Od. 7.87e1 Pontani (θριγκὸς κυάνοιο: ἀπὸ γενικῆς εἰς εὐθεῖαν μετῆκται· “θρίξ”, “τριχός”, “θριγκός”, τῶν στοιχείων ἀπολαβόντων τὴν οἰκείαν μετάθεσιν μετὰ πλεονασμὸν τοῦ γ. δηλοῖ δὲ τὴν στεφάνην καὶ πᾶν τὸ ὑπὲρ τῶν τοίχων καὶ τοῦ στέγους ὑπερεξέχον τάξει τριχώσεως καὶ κόμης); Schol. Od. 7.87e3 Pontani (περὶ δὲ θριγκὸς κυάνοιο: ἀπὸ γενικῆς εἰς εὐθεῖαν μετῆκται. δηλοῖ δὲ τὴν στεφάνην καὶ πᾶν τὸ ὑπὲρ τῶν τοίχων καὶ τοῦ στέγους ὑπερεξέχον, τάξει τριχώσεως καὶ κόμης. καὶ ἔστιν ἡ εὐθεῖα “ἡ θρίξ”, καὶ κλίνεται “τῆς τριχός”. οἱ δὲ Ἴωνες ὡς τὸν χιτῶνα “κιθῶνα” λέγουσι καὶ τὴν χύτραν “κύθραν” καὶ τὸ ἐντεῦθεν “ἐνθεῦτεν”, τρέπουσι καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς “τριχὸς” τὸ χ εἰς κ, τὸ δὲ τ εἰς θ. ἡ δὲ γενικὴ ἐν πολλοῖς μετάγεται εἰς εὐθεῖαν, ὡς “Τρώς, Τρωός”, καὶ ἡ εὐθεῖα “Τρωός, Τρωοῦ”, καὶ “σάρξ, σαρκὸς” (καὶ “ἄσαρκος”), καὶ “δμώς, δμωός”. οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς “τριχὸς” μεταβληθέντων τῶν γραμμάτων μετάγεται ἡ γενικὴ εἰς εὐθεῖαν “ὁ θρικός”, προσθέσει δὲ τοῦ ν “ὁ θρινκός”, διὰ δὲ τὸ εὑρεθῆναι ἔμπροσθεν τὸ κ τρέπεται τὸ ν εἰς γ)
Comment
Derivational etymology relying on a metaphor: the cornice is the topmost part of the wall as the hair is the topmost part of the body, and it is an ornament like the hair. The etymology is older than Eustathius and already found in the Soda (see Parallels). Here Eustathius' text is provided because it is more detailed. The etymology is very interesting from the formal point of view. Firstly, because it derives a case form (nominative) from another case form (genitive): the genitive of the etymon becomes the nominative of the lemma, with a change in gender (see ἀρήν / ἀρά). Secondly because it implies a metathesis of aspiration, which is explicit in Eustathius' explanation, and relies on an extrapolation out of cases displaying Grassmann's law. Thirdly, it implies the insertion of a consonant, /n/