ἔρα
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
ῥίζα
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
rhiza
English translation (word)
root
Transliteration (Etymon)
era
English translation (etymon)
earth
Century
5 AD
Source
idem
Ref.
Etymologicum, rho, p. 140
Ed.
F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, Weigel, 1820
Quotation
Ῥίζα. δι’ ἧς ῥέει τὸ ζῆν ἄνω τοῖς δένδροις. τινὲς δὲ φασὶ πλεονασμὸν εἶναι τοῦ ρ, ἵζα τις οὖσα, παρὰ τὸ προϊζάνειν τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἔγκειται ἡ ἔρα ἡ γῆ, ἔριζά τις οὖσα, κατ’ ἀποβολὴν τοῦ ε [NB: Sturz prints ῥέα]
Translation (En)
Rhiza "root". The one through which life flows upwards in the trees. But some say it arose by addition of the /r/, being a *hiza, as it were, from "to sit" (proïzanein) in the ground, and it contains the word era "earth", being a *eriza, as it were, by apocope of the /e/
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 704 (Ῥίζα: Δι’ ἧς ῥέει τὸ ζῆν ἄνω τοῖς δένδροις· παρὰ τὸ ῥέειν δι’ αὐτῆς τὸ ζῆν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἵζω, τὸ κάθημαι, ἵζα καὶ ῥίζα, παρὰ τὸ προσιζάνειν ἐν τῇ γῇ· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἔρα, ἡ γῆ, ἔριζά τις οὖσα, κατὰ ἀποβολὴν τοῦ ε)
Modern etymology
Older *ϝρίζα, cf. Myc. wi-ri-za. Cognate with Lat. rādīx, Engl. root, Welsh gwraidd "roots" (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
Yes
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Derivational etymology. The root is the "terrestrial" part of the plant, as the underground part of it. From ἔρα "earth" is derived a ghost-form *ἐρίζα, which then loses the initial /e/by apocope