ἀ- + κάμνω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
τὸ ἄκμων σύνθετόν ἐστι παρὰ τὸ α ἐπιτατικὸν μόριον καὶ καμών ἀκάμων καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν ἄκμων οἱονεὶ ὁ πάνυ κάμνων.
Translation (En)
The word akmōn "anvil" is composed of the intensive particle a- and kamōn "toiling" : *akamōn, and through syncope akmōn, as though it were the much toiling one.
Parallels
Choeroboscus, Prolegomena et scholia in Theodosii Alexandrini canones 301, 29-31 (ἐπειδὴ τὸ α οὐ μόνον στερητικὸν δύναται εἶναι ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιτατικόν, ἄκμων γὰρ λέγεται ἢ παρὰ τὸ μὴ κάμνειν ἢ παρὰ τὸ πάνυ κάμνειν "since the ἀ- here can be not only privative, but also intensive, so that ἄκμων is called either from the fact that it does not get tired or from the fact that it toils a lot"); Epimerismi Homerici, alpha 94 (explanation through the intensive ἀ- only, as in Herodian); ; Etym. Genuinum, alpha 340 ( Ἄκμων· σημαίνει τόν τε σίδηρον, ἐφ’ οὗ οἱ χαλκεῖς τύπτουσιν, καὶ τὸν Οὐρανοῦ πατέρα· οὕτως γὰρ αὐτὸν γενεαλογοῦσιν. εἴρηται δὲ ὁ μὲν τοῦ σιδήρου ἄκμων παρὰ τὸ ἀκάμων τις ὤν, ὁ ἀκαμάτως φέρων. ὁ δὲ τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ πατὴρ ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀκαμάτου φύσεως, τῶν θεολόγων αἰνισσομένων τὸ ἄκμητον αὐτοῦ τῆς περιφορᾶς ἢ † προλαμβάνοντες αὐτὸν † ἄφθαρτός ἐστι· κεκμηκέναι γὰρ λέγομεν τοὺς τετελευτηκότας. τινὲς δὲ † Ἄκμωνα τὸν Ὠκεανόν φασι διὰ τὸ τοὺς ποταμοὺς ἀκαμάτους λέγεσθαι, οἷον (Π 176)· ‘Σπερχειῷ ἀκάμαντι, γυνὴ θεῷ εὐνηθεῖσα’· Ὠκεανοῦ δὲ υἱὸν τὸν Οὐρανόν. οἱ δὲ Ἄκμονα τὸν Αἰθέρα, Αἰθέρος δὲ παῖς ὁ Οὐρανός· ὁ δὲ Αἰθὴρ ἀκάματος, ἐπειδὴ τὸ πῦρ ἀκάματον, οἷον (Ε 4 ...)· ‘†ἀκάμαντον πῦρ’); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha p. 67 (explanation through the privative ἀ- only); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 49 (Εἴρηται δὲ ὁ μὲν τοῦ σιδήρου, παρὰ τὸ ἄλφα τὸ ἐπιτατικὸν καὶ τὸ κάμω, ἀκάμων τὶς ὢν, ὁ ἀκαμάτως φέρων· καὶ συγκοπῇ ἄκμων, ὁ πάνυ κάμνων with a confusion of both interpretations, since ἀ- is analyzed as privative in ἀκαμάτως φέρων "enduring without being tired" but as intensive in ὁ πάνυ κάμνων "having much toil"); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha p. 100 (Ἄκμων. παρὰ τὸ κάμνω. ἀκάμων τὶς ὢν, ὁ ἀκαμάτως φέρων).
The etymology may be older than its first explicit attestation. Callimachus, Hymn 3, 146, may hint at it: Τιρύνθιος ἄκμων as a periphrasis referring to "untiring" Hercules, which the Scholia vetera in Callimachum, Hymn 3, 146 explain thus : <Τιρύνθιος ἄκμων:> ὁ μὴ καμὼν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἄθλοις Ἡρακλῆς.
Proper name: Cornutus, Theologiae Graecae compendium 1: τινὲς δὲ τῶν ποιητῶν Ἄκμονος ἔφασαν αὐτὸν υἱὸν εἶναι, τὸ ἄκμητον τῆς περιφορᾶς αὐτοῦ αἰνιττόμενοι, ἢ προλαβόντες ὅτι ἄφθαρτός ἐστι τοῦτο παριστᾶσι διὰ τῆς ἐτυμολογίας· κεκμηκέναι γὰρ λέγομεν τοὺς τετελευτηκότας; Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, alpha 313: τινὲς δὲ Ἄκμονα τὸν Ὠκεανὸν λέγουσι διὰ τοὺς ποταμοὺς ἀκαμάτους λέγεσθαι. See also the Etym. Genuium above (repeated in the Etm. Magnum).
Comment
The analysis of the word as a compound is customary for almost any word with initial ἀ-, where Greek etymologists identified a particle which may be either intensive or privative. As a matter of fact, the symmetrical analysis "exempt from toil" is also attested (see Parallels). This was suggested by the phonetic similarity of the old privative compound ἀκμής "not tired" (Hom.) with the same initial [akm]. The same etymology is provided for the mythological name Akmon, father of Ouranos in some non Hesiodic theogonies.