ῥαπίζω

Validation

No

Last modification

Sun, 08/09/2026 - 10:05

Word-form

ῥάβδον

Transliteration (Word)

rhabdos

English translation (word)

stick, staff

Transliteration (Etymon)

rhapizō

English translation (etymon)

to strike with a stick

Author

Herodian

Century

2 AD

Reference

Περί Ἰλιακῆς προσῳδίας, Lentz III/2, p. 127

Edition

A. Lentz, Grammatici graeci, vol. III/2, Leipzig, 1870

Source

Scholia in Homerum

Ref.

A Scholion Il. 24.343

Ed.

H. Erbse, Scholia Graeca in Homeri Iliadem (scholia vetera), vols. 1-5, 7, Berlin: De Gruyter, 1:1969; 2:1971; 3:1974; 4:1975; 5:1977; 7:1988

Quotation

τὴν ῥάβδον συσταλτέον κατὰ τὴν πρώτην συλλαβήν, οὐχ ὅτι παρὰ τὸ ῥάπτω ἐγένετο, ἔνθεν καὶ τὸ ῥαπίζω, ἀλλ’ ὅτι καὶ τὸ α πρὸ τοῦ β συστέλλεσθαι θέλει, 

Translation (En)

The first syllable in the word rhabdos "stick" is short, not only because it comes from *rhaptō, from which also comes rhapizō "to strike with a stick", but also because the /a/ before the /b/ must be short

Comment

Herodian assumes as the etymon a verb *ῥάπτω, homonymous with ῥάπτω "to sew", and having the same meaning as its alleged derivative ῥαπίζω "to strike with a stick" (ῥαπίς). From *ῥάπτω with two voiceless stops is derived ῥάβδος with two voiced stops. The stick is etymologized as the "striking" one

Parallels

Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Darmstadino 2773), rho, p. 616 (ῥάβδος παρὰ τὸ ῥᾳδίως ἐπ’ αὐτῆς βαδίζειν ἢ παρὰ τὸ ῥαπίσαι δι’ αὐτῆς); 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); 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 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)

Entry By

Le Feuvre