κόλος
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Κόλαξ, οἱονεὶ ὁ τεταπεινωμένως θεραπεύων τινά· παρὰ τὸ κόλον παράγωγον κόλαξ· κόλον δὲ τὸ ταπεινὸν καὶ μὴ ὁλόκληρον· τινὲς δὲ φασὶ παρὰ τὸ κολλᾷσθαι, κόλ<λ>αξ τις ὢν, ἐξ οὗ καὶ δύσκολος ὁ δυσχερῶς τινι κολλώμενος·
Translation (En)
Kolax "flatterer", he who flatters someone in a vile fashion. Kolax is a derivative of kolon "docked"; and kolon is what is vile and mutilated. However, others say that it comes from kollasthai "to stick to", a *kol<l>ax "sticker", as it were, from which also comes duskolos "irascible", he who unpleasantly sticks to somebody.
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 524-535 (Κόλαξ: Ὁ ταπεινῶς θεραπεύων τινά· παρὰ τὸ κόλον· σημαίνει δὲ τὸ ταπεινὸν καὶ μὴ ὁλόκληρον. Κόλος καὶ ἐπί τινος ἐντέρου, παρὰ τὴν κοιλότητα); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, kappa, p. 1228 (Κόλαξ. ὁ ἐπαινῶν ὑπὲρ τὸ πρέπον· ὁ ὡς φίλος ὑπερχόμενός τινα· ὁ ταπεινῶς θεραπεύων τινά. παρὰ τὸ κόλον παράγωγον κόλαξ. †κόλον δὲ, τὸ ταπεινὸν καὶ μὴ ὁλόκληρον)
Comment
Derivational etymology. The etymon apparently encompasses two different words, kolon "colon, lower part of the intestine" and the adjective kolos "docked" (glossed by μὴ ὁλόκληρον). The idea is that what is docked is weak, therefore, low and vile, and that the flatterer reveals himself as low and vile through his behavior.