ζωή + φέρω

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Word-form

ζέφυρος

Transliteration (Word)

zephuros

English translation (word)

west wind

Transliteration (Etymon)

zōē + pherō

English translation (etymon)

life + to bring

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Darmstadino 2773), p. 613

Ed.

F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820

Quotation

ζέφυρος ὁ ἄνεμος· ὁ τὴν ζωὴν πᾶσι φέρων.

Translation (En)

Zephuros, the west wind. The one that brings (pherōn) life (zōēn) to all

Comment

Compositional etymology, in which the first member is identified with either the noun meaning "life" or with the verb meaning "to live" (see ζέφυρος / ζάω + φέρω). The west wind is so called because it is favorable to crops. This etymology is backed by a Homeric reference (Od. 7.119)

Parallels

Scholia. Od. 4.567c Pontani (ζεφύροιο] ζωηφόρου καὶ ἡδυπνόου); Etym. Gudianum, zeta, p. 230 (Ζέφυρος, παρὰ τὸ ζωοφόρος εἶναι. τρέφει γὰρ τοὺς καρπούς. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ζωὴ καὶ τὸ φέρω, ὁ τὸν ζῆν πᾶσι παρέχων, καὶ τὶ μετέχει τοῦ ζῆν, τῷ γὰρ θέρει πνέοντι αὐτῷ οἱ καρποὶ αὔξονται); 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. Od., vol. 1, p. 220 (τὰ πρὸς τὸ ζῆν φέρει ὅθεν καὶ ὁ Ζέφυρος παρά τισι); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 408 (Ζέφυρος: Ὁ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν πνέων ἄνεμος, ὁ καὶ λὶψ καλούμενος. Παρὰ τὸ ζωὴ καὶ τὸ φέρω, ὁ τὸ ζῆν πᾶσι φέρων καὶ παρέχων, ζήφυρος, ζέφυρος· (καὶ τί μετέχει τοῦ ζῆν; τῷ γὰρ θέρει πνέοντος αὐτοῦ οἱ καρποὶ αὔξονται·) ζωοφόρος τὶς ὢν, ὁ τὰ πρὸς ζωὴν φέρων· ἐπειδὴ τὰ φυτὰ κυΐσκειν ποιεῖ. Ὅμηρος, ‘αὔρη | ζεφυρίη πνείουσα τὰ μὲν φύει, ἄλλα δὲ πέσσει’ (Od. 7.119). Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ζόφος, ζόφυρος καὶ ζέφυρος, ὁ ἐκ ζόφου ῥέων); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, zeta, p. 953 (Ζέφυρος. ὁ εὐκραὴς καὶ γαληνὸς ἄνεμος. καὶ οἱονεὶ ζωηφόρος τὶς ὢν ὁ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν πνέων. ὁ τὰ πρὸς ζωὴν φέρων, ἐπειδὴ τὰ φυτὰ κυΐσκειν ποιεῖ.‘αὔρη | ζεφυρίη πνείουσα τὰ μὲν φύει, ἄλλα δὲ πέσσει’. ἢ παρὰ τὸν ζόφον, ζόφυρος καὶ ζέφυρος· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ ζόφου ῥέει. ζόφος δὲ καλεῖται ἡ δύσις. οὗτος δὲ καὶ λὶψ καλεῖται.]); Scholia in Oppianum, Hal. 3.244 (ἰδοὺ ἔαρ, ζεφύρου δὲ τοῦ ἔαρος· ὁ γὰρ ζέφυρος τότε πνέει κατὰ τὸ ἔαρ, φέρων τὰ πρὸς ζωὴν ἐπιτήδεια. εἰαρινοῦ ζεφύρου· τοῦ ἔαρος, ἐν ᾧ πνέουσιν οἱ ζέφυροι); ibid., 1.793 (Ζέφυρος ὁ οὖρος τοῦ ζόφου, ἤως τῆς δύσεως, λέγεται καὶ ὁ Βοῤῥᾶς ὁ φέρων ζωὴν καὶ ἄνεμος [φέρων ζωὴν, the etymology of ζέφυρος, is applied to βορέας, the north wind])

Modern etymology

Uncertain. Some maintain the relationship with ζόφος, others compare it with Set. yábhati "to copulate", Toch. B yäp- "to enter" (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

MG still has ζέφυρος as a learned word and Ζέφυρος as a mythological name

Entry By

Le Feuvre