ζόφος + οὖρος
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English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
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Quotation
Καίτοι τινὲς ἑσπέριον, ὅ ἐστιν ἀπὸ δύσεως, ἄνεμον εἶναι τὸν Ζέφυρον λέγοντες ζόφουρόν τινα ἐτυμολογοῦσιν αὐτὸν ἤτοι οὖρον ἀπὸ ζόφου ἀντὶ τοῦ ἄνεμον δυτικόν
Translation (En)
Yet some say that the zephyr is an occidental wind, that is to say, coming from the west, saying that it is a *zophouros, as it were, that is, a fair wind (ouron) from darkness (zophou), equivalent to west wind
Parallels
Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 2, p. 644 (Καρποφορεῖν γὰρ ποιεῖ καὶ αὐτὸς τὰς ἀρούρας ἔαρος πνέων καὶ οὕτω φέρει τὸ ζῆν, ποιῶν τὴν γῆν φυσίζοον καὶ ζείδωρον ἀληθῶς, ἢ ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ ζόφου οὖρος, ἤτοι ἐκ τῶν πρὸς δύσιν ἄνεμος); Eustathius, Comm. Dionysii periegetae orbis descriptionem 400 (Ζέφυρος γὰρ τρόπον τινὰ ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ ἑσπέριος ἄνεμος, ὡς ἀπὸ ζόφου, ὃ ἔστι τῆς ἑσπέρας, οὖρος, ἤγουν ἄνεμος); Etym. Symeonis, delta 385 (Δυσαής· ὁ ἄνεμος· παρὰ τὸ ἄω, τὸ πνέω, καὶ τὸ δυς ὁ κακῶς πνέων· τὸ γὰρ δυσαήων ἔκτασιν ἔχει τοῦ ε εἰς η· τινὲς δὲ τοῦ ζεφύρου ἐπίθετον φασί, τοῦ ἀπὸ δύσεως ἄοντος ζέφυρος γὰρ εἴρηται ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ζόφου ῥέων· ἢ οὖρος ὁ ἐκ τῆς δύσεως πνέων); Schol. Od. 4.567b Pontani (ζεφύροιο: ἐτυμολογία τοῦ ζεφύρου, ὁ τοῦ ζόφου οὖρος); Scholia in Oppianum, Hal. 1.793 (Ζέφυρος ὁ οὖρος τοῦ ζόφου, ἤως τῆς δύσεως, λέγεται καὶ ὁ Βοῤῥᾶς ὁ φέρων ζωὴν καὶ ἄνεμος).
Implicit etymology likely in Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. 2.900 (δὴ γάρ σφιν ζεφύρου μέγας οὖρος ἄητο) and 4.768 (ζεφύρου γε μὲν οὖρος ἀήτω)
Comment
Compositional etymology differing from the Stoic etymology (see ζέφυρος / ζόφος + ῥέω), by its second member. Instead of ῥέω "to flow" in the Stoic etymology, this one assumes that the second member is οὖρος "fair wind". Accordingly, the wind is properly the "fair wind from the west". This etymology probably arose from Homeric exegesis, for it relies on he collocation in Od. 2.420–421 (τοῖσιν δ’ ἴκμενον οὖρον ἵει γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη, | ἀκραῆ ζέφυρον), in which Greek scholars saw a par etymology in Homer