κάρα + βαίνω
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Transliteration (Etymon)
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Quotation
Κάραβος. παρὰ τὸ κᾶρᾳ βαίνειν τῆς κεφαλῆς προηκούσης ἐπὶ τῷ ἐδάφει. οὕτως Ἡρωδιανὸς ἐν τῷ Συμποσίῳ
Translation (En)
Karabos "crayfish", from the fact it walks (bainein) on the head (karai), since its head (kephalēs) is close to the ground, Thus Herodian in the Banquet.
Parallels
Orion, Etymologicum, p. 89 (Κάραβος. παρὰ τὸ βαίνειν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς προηκούσης τῷ ἐδάφει. οὕτως Ἡρωδιανὸς ἐν τῷ Συμποσίῳ); Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 298 (Κάραβος, τὸ θαλάσσιον ζῶον, παρὰ τὸ τῇ κάρᾳ βαίνειν, τῆς κεφαλῆς προεχούσης· ἢ καὶ τὴν ναῦν ὡσαύτως· κάρα γὰρ ἡ τροπίς); ibid., p. 298 (Κάραβος, διὰ τὸ ἀκεραίως βαίνειν. ἢ ὁ τὴν κεφαλὴν κινῶν, αἱ γὰρ χηλαὶ καὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ποδάρια ἐνήρεισται) Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 490 (Κάραβος: Τὸ θαλάσσιον ζῷον, παρὰ τὸ τῇ κάρᾳ βαίνειν, τῆς κεφαλῆς προεχούσης. Ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ πλοίου λεγόμενον. Σημαίνει καὶ τὴν ναῦν, ὡσαύτως· κάρα γὰρ ἡ τρόπις); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, kappa, p. 1147 (Κάραβος. παρὰ τὸ τὴν κάραν βαίνειν, τῆς κεφαλῆς προεχούσης. ἢ καὶ τὴν ναῦν ὡσαύτως, κάρα γὰρ ἡ τρόπις)
Comment
Compositional descriptive etymology, referring to the characteristic shape of the sea-crab, with the legs seemingly attached directly to the head (see the explanation in the Gudianum, "it moves its head, for the claws and the legs are attached to the head"). In Orion's wording (see Parallels) it is an elliptic etymology: the assumed etymon κάρα "head" is dropped, and only the synonym κεφαλή is kept. However, the longer formulation, preserved in the Gudianum, was probably the older one in Orion. In the Byzantine Etymologica, it is said to apply to ships, assumed to "go on their heads" because the keel is the head. This is an extension of the etymology designed in order to explain the name of the animal to the derivative καράβιον, meaning "small ship".