κόρση + ἅπτω
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Κρόταφοι: Κυρίως ἐπὶ τῶν ζῴων τῶν κερατοφόρων, διὰ τὸ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν μερῶν φύεσθαι κέρατα, οἱονεὶ κερατοφόροι τινες ὄντες· ἢ ὅτι κρούουσι τὴν ἁφὴν παλλόμενοι, οἷον κρούταφοι ὡς δὲ Ἀπολλόδωρος, ὅτι συγκεκρότηνται ἀμφοτέρωθεν· ὡς δὲ Ἀπίων, ὅτι τῆς κόρσης ἅπτονται, τουτέστι τῆς κεφαλῆς. Οὕτως Σωρανός. Ἢ παρὰ τὴν κόρσην, κόρσαφος, καὶ κόρταφος· καὶ ἐν ὑπερθέσει, κρόταφος. Ἢ ὅτι τῆς κόρσης ἁφή ἐστι· κόρση, κρόση· καὶ κρόσας· καὶ τὸ κροσὸς οὕτως ἐτυμολογεῖται ἀπὸ τοῦ τέλους· φησὶ γὰρ, ἡ κεφαλὴ τὸ τελευταῖον ὁ κροσὸς καλεῖται. Ἢ ὅτι ὁ κρουόμενος εἰς αὐτὸν, τάφον ἔχει, καὶ ἔμπληκτος γίνεται, ὡς τὸ, ‘τάφος δ’ ἕλε πάντας Ἀχαιούς’
Translation (En)
Krotaphoi "temples". In its proper meaning it applies to horned animals, because their horns grow from this place, as though the temples were "horn-bearers" (keratophoroi). Or because they beat (krouousi) when you touch them (tēn haphēn), bouncing, being *kroutaphoi, as it were. Apollodorus says that it is because they beat together (sunkekrotēntai) on both sides. Apion, because they are joined (haptontai) to the korsē, that is to say, the head. This is what Soranus says. Or from korsē "temple", *korsaphos and *kortaphos, and by metathesis, krotaphos. Or because it is a touch on the temple: korsē, krosē and krosos – and krosos has the same etymology, from the extremity, for he says that the top of the head is called krosos. Or because those who are hit (krouomenos) on the temple are astonished (taphos ekhei) and paralyzed, as in ‘astonishment seized all the Achaeans’
Parallels
Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 54 (Τὰ δὲ πρὸς μήνιγγας ἔνθεν κακεῖθεν κρόταφοι λέγονται, ὅτι κρούουσι τὴν ἁφὴν <π>αλλόμενοι, οἷον κρούταφοι· ἢ ὅτι τῆς κόρσεως ἅπτονται· κόρσις δὲ ἡ κεφαλὴ, παρὰ τὸ κορυφοῦσθαι); Etym. Gudianum, kappa, p. 349 (Κρόταφοι, κυρίως μὲν ἡ λέξις ἐπὶ τῶν ζώων τῶν κερατοφόρων, διὰ τὸ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν μερῶν φύεσθαι τὰ κέρατα, οἱονεὶ κερατοφόροι τινὲς ὄντες, ἢ ὅτι κρούουσι τὴν ἁφὴν παλλόμενοι, οἷον κρούταφοι· ὡς δὲ Ἀπολλόδωρος, ὅτι συγκεκρότηνται ἀμφοτέρωθεν· ὁ δὲ Ἀπίων, ὅτι τοῦ κρόσσου ἅπτονται, τουτ’ ἔστι τῆς κεφαλῆς. οὕτως Ὦρος); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, kappa, p. 1251 (Κρόταφον. τὸν μήνιγγα λέγει. ὁ ἅμα τῇ κρούσει τὸν τάφον φέρων. ἢ ὅτι τῆς κόρσης καὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐστὶν ἁφή. κρόταφος δὲ κυρίως ἐπὶ τῶν ζώων τῶν κερατοφόρων, διὰ τὸ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν μερῶν φύεσθαι τὰ κέρατα· οἱονεὶ κερατοφόροι τινὲς ὄντες. ἢ ὅτι κρούουσι τὴν ἁφὴν παλλόμενοι, οἷον κρούταφοι. ὁ δὲ Ἀπολλόδωρος, ὅτι συγκεκρότηνται ἀμφοτέρωθεν. ὁ δὲ Ἀπίων, ὅτι τοῦ κροσσοῦ ἅπτονται, τουτέστι τῆς κεφαλῆς); ibid., Ps.-Zonaras, p. 1233 (Κόρταφος. παρὰ τὴν κόρσην εἶναι κόρσαφος καὶ κόρταφος, καὶ ἐν ὑπερβιβασμῷ κρόταφος. ἢ ὅτι τῆς κόρσης καὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἁφὴ ἐστί)
Comment
Compositional etymology referring to the location of the temples on the head. The second member of the compound is assumed to be the verb "to touch", and the first member, κόρση, is itself a word meaning "temple", a synonym of κρόταφος. Therefore, it is taken here in the metonymic meaning of "head". This seems to rely on a specific meaning of κόρση which, according to some authors, refers to the place where the jaw-bone is attached to the skull (Συναγωγὴ λέξεων χρησίμων, epsilon 691: ἐπὶ κόρρης· […] τινὲς δὲ καὶ ῥάπισμα λέγουσι τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς γνάθου λαμβάνειν ἁπτόμενον καὶ τοῦ κροτάφου). The etymology goes back to Soranus, according to Apion, and the whole is transmitted by the Et. Magnum. A slightly different version of Apion's etymology is found in the Gudianum, probably resulting from a corruption (see Parallels)