ἕρμα
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Ὅρμος. παρὰ τὸ ἕρμα τὸ ἀσφάλισμα. ὅθεν καὶ ὁρμῆσαι, τὸ ἐν ἀσφαλῆ εἶναι τὴν ναῦν.
Translation (En)
Hormos "haven", from herma "support", from which also hormēsai "to be in safety" for a ship
Parallels
Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 4, p. 203 (Ὅρμοι δὲ κόσμος περιτραχήλιος παρὰ τὸ ἕρμα, φασί, τὸ ἀσφάλισμα, καθ’ ὁμοιότητα τοῦ κατὰ λιμένα ὅρμου, ἐξ οὗ ὁρμίσαι τὸ ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ καταστῆσαι τὴν ναῦν); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 631 (Ὅρμος: Σημαίνει δύο, τὸν λιμένα, καὶ τὸν περιτραχήλιον κόσμον. Παρὰ τὸ ἕρμα, τὸ ἀσφάλισμα, γίνεται ὅρμος, ὁ λιμήν· ὅθεν καὶ ὁρμίσαι, τὸ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ εἶναι τὴν ναῦν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἴρω, τὸ συμπλέκω· ἐξ οὗ καὶ ὁρμιὰ, ἡ σειρὰ, πρὸς ἣν τὸ ἄγκιστρον ἐπησφάλισται δεδεμένον); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, omicron, p. 1462 (Ὅρμος. ὁ λιμήν. —τὴν δ’ εἰς ὅρμον προσέρυσαν—. παρὰ τὸ ἕρμα, τὸ ἀσφάλισμα, γίνεται ὅρμος. ὅθεν καὶ ὁρμίσαι, τὸ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ εἶναι τὴν ναῦν. [ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ κοσμίου, παρὰ τὸ εἴρω, τὸ συμπλέκω, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ὁρμιὰ καλεῖται ἡ σειρὰ, πρὸς ἣν τὸ ἄγκιστρον ἐπησφάλισται δεδεμένον.])
Comment
Derivational etymology. It is partly correct since both ἕρμα and ὅρμος are derivatives of εἴρω "to string". Thus the two words are indeed related, although the one is not the source of the other. Orion's derivational chain is εἴρω → ἕρμα → ὅρμος, for ἕρμα still has the /e/ of the verb and already the /m/ of the lemma. This etymology refers to the meaning "haven, harbour" of ὅρμος. The original meaning is "cord", hence "anchorage" (where the ships are attached with a cord), from which the meaning "harbour" developed, in which the ships are safe