ῥᾴδιος + βαίνω

Validation

No

Last modification

Sun, 08/09/2026 - 09:45

Word-form

ῥάβδος

Transliteration (Word)

rhabdos

English translation (word)

stick, staff

Transliteration (Etymon)

rhaidios + bainō

English translation (etymon)

easy + to walk

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

idem

Ref.

Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Darmstadino 2773), rho, p. 616

Ed.

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

Quotation

ῥάβδος παρὰ τὸ ῥᾳδίως ἐπ’ αὐτῆς βαδίζειν ἢ παρὰ τὸ ῥαπίσαι δι’ αὐτῆς

Translation (En)

rhabdos "stick", from "to walk" (badizeineasily (rhaidiōs) with it, or from "to strike" (rhapisai) with it

Comment

Compositional etymology. Of the second member of the "compound" only the initial consonant /b/ is kept. It is a functional etymology: the function of the stick is to help walking

Parallels

Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 94 (ῥάβδος, ὀνομαθητικὸν, (?) εἴδους παραγώγου, εἴδους τῶν παραγώγων ῥηματικοῦ. Καὶ πόθεν γίνεται; Παρὰ τὸ ῥάπτω τὸ ῥαπίζω, ῥάπδος· καὶ ἐπεὶ ψιλὰ ψιλῶν ἡγεῖται καὶ δασέα δασέων καὶ μέσα μέσων, τρέπεται τὸ Π εἰς τὸ Β, καὶ γίνεται ῥάβδος. Ἐτυμολογεῖται δὲ παρὰ τὸ ῥᾷον βαίνειν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ); Etym. Gudianum, rho, p. 489 (Ῥᾷβδος, παρὰ τὸ ῥᾷον εἰς ὁδόν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ῥᾷον βαδίζειν); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 3, p. 395 (Ἡ δὲ ῥάβδος εἰ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ ποιεῖν ῥᾷον βαδίζειν γίνεται, διὸ καὶ προπερισπᾶσθαι δοκεῖ, ἴστωσαν οἱ παραδόντες. οἱ δὲ πλείους τῶν παλαιῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥαπίζειν αὐτὴν παράγουσι, διὸ καὶ παροξύνουσι); ibid., vol. 4, p. 915 (Τὴν δὲ ῥάβδον οἱ μὲν προπερισπῶσι διὰ τὸ ῥᾷον, φάμενοι γίνεσθαι παρὰ τὸ ῥᾷον βαδίζειν ποιεῖν, ἕτεροι δὲ παρὰ τὸ ῥαπίζειν λέγοντες αὐτὴν γίνεσθαι); Eustathius, Comm. Od., vol. 2, p. 311 (Γίνεται δὲ ῥᾴβδος παρὰ τὸ ῥᾳδίως ποιεῖν βαδίζειν, ὡς ἐν ἀρχαίοις ὑπομνήμασι φέρεται· ἔνθα πρόσκειται καὶ ὅτι βέλτιον δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥαπίζειν, ἵνα τῷ μὲν πρώτῳ λόγῳ προπερισπᾶται ἡ λέξις διὰ τὸ ῥᾷον, τῷ δὲ δευτέρῳ παροξύνηται); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 701 (Ῥάβδος: Παρὰ τὸ ῥάσσω· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ῥαπίζω· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ῥάπτω, τὸ ῥαπίζω, ῥάπδος καὶ ῥάβδος. Ἐτυμολογεῖται δὲ παρὰ τὸ ῥᾷον βαίνειν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, rho, p. 1604 (Ῥάβδῳ. ἐπιτιμίου λόγῳ. εἴρηται ῥάβδος παρὰ τὸ ῥάσσω, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ῥαπίζω, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ῥᾷον βαίνειν); Scholia in Batrachomyomachiam 136 (σκῆπτρον] ῥάβδον· ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥᾷον καὶ τοῦ βαδίζω, δι’ ἧς εὐκόλως βαδίζομεν); Schol. Od. 24.2 Dindorf (ἔχε δὲ ῥάβδον] παρὰ τὸ ῥᾷον βαδίζειν δι’ αὐτῆς); Scholia in Aristophanem, Commentarium in Plutum 272b (Tzetzes) (γίνεται δὲ ῥᾶβδος παρὰ τὸ ῥάπτω, τὸ ῥαπίζω, ῥάπδος· καὶ ἐπεὶ ψιλὰ ψιλῶν ἡγεῖται καὶ δασέα δασέων καὶ μέσα μέσων, τρέπεται τὸ π εἰς β, καὶ γίνεται ῥᾶβδος. ἐτυμολογεῖται δὲ <καὶ> παρὰ τὸ ῥᾷον βαίνειν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ)

Modern etymology

Unknown (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Yes

Entry By

Le Feuvre