βλάπτω
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
βλᾶκα
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
blax
English translation (word)
stolid, stupid
Transliteration (Etymon)
blaptō
English translation (etymon)
to damage, to hurt
Source
idem
Ref.
Scholia ad dialogos tetralogiarum, Gorgias 272
Ed.
D. Cufalo, Scholia Graeca in Platonem I, Scholia ad dialogos tetralogiarum I-VII continens [Pleiadi5.1. Rome: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2007]
Quotation
βλὰξ ὁ χαῦνος τῇ προαιρέσει. εἴρηται δὲ ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ βεβλάφθαι τὰς φρένας ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ μαλακοῦ, οἷον μάλαξ τις ὤν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ “μ” τῷ “λ” ἀσύμπλοκον, ἀντὶ τοῦ μλὰξ γέγονε βλάξ
Translation (En)
Blax "soft", the unenergetic one in his plans. It comes from the fact that the mind is damaged (beblaphthai) . Or from malakos "soft", as though it were *malax, since the /m/ cannot combine with the /l/, instead of *mlax, it results in blax
Parallels
ibid., 272b) (βλὰξ ὁ χαῦνος, ἀπὸ τοῦ βεβλάφθαι τὰς φρένας ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ μαλακός, μάλαξ τις ὢν καὶ βλάξ)
Modern etymology
Probably belongs with μαλακός, as *mlh2-k-. If so, it is not an Attic word. Cognate with Skt. mlātá- "soft", OIr. mlaith "soft" (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
MG still has βλάκας "stolid"
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Derivational etymology. The indolent man has a "damaged" mind, and the lemma is the consequence of the etymon