ἀήρ
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
ἠερίαι (Γ 7): […] ἐκ τοῦ ἀήρ ἀέρος ἠέριος. τὸ ρι ι· διὰ τί; τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰς ηρ ὑπὲρ μίαν συλλαβὴν διὰ τοῦ ιος γινόμενα διὰ τοῦ ι γράφεται, οἷον συντακτήρ συντακτῆρος συντακτήριος, ἀστήρ ἀστέρος ἀστέριος, αἰθήρ αἰθέρος αἰθέριος, ὀλετήρ (cf. Σ 114) ὀλετῆρος ὀλετήριος· οὕτως καὶ ἀήρ ἀέρος ἀέριος καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς η ἠέριος.
Translation (En)
ēeriai "early": from aēr, aeros "air". /ri/ is spelled with iota. Why? the words derived by -ios from words ending in -ēr over one syllable are spelled with <I>, as suntaktēr, suntaktēros, suntaktērios, astēr, asteros, asterios, aithēr, aitheros, aitherios, oletēr, oletēros, oletērios. So, too, aēr, aeros, aerios, and by change of /a/ to /ē/, ēerios
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum, eta, p. 237 (Ἠέριαι, ἔστιν ἀὴρ ἀέρος, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἀέριος καὶ ἀέρια τὸ θηλυκὸν καὶ κατὰ Ἰωνικὴν τροπὴν τοῦ α εἰς η ἠέρια. καὶ ἡ εὐθεῖα τῶν πληθυντικῶν ἠέριαι); ibid., p. 237 (Ἠερία, ἡ ἀορασία, ἔστιν ἀὴρ ἀέρος, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γίνεται ἀέριος. καὶ τὸ θηλυκὸν ἠερία κατὰ Ἰωνικὴν διάλεκτον. ἡ εὐθεῖα τῶν πληθυντικῶν ἠερίαι); ibid., p. 237 (Ἠέρι, ἀέρι, ἠερίαι, ὄνομα γένους θηλυκοῦ, ἡ εὐθεῖα ἠερία παροξυτόνως. τὸ η ἦτα. ἐκ τοῦ ἀὴρ ἀέρος, ἀέριος. τὸ ρι ἰῶτα διάτι; τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν εἰς ηρ ὑπὲρ μίαν συλλαβὴν, διὰ τοῦ ιος γινόμενα, διὰ τοῦ ι γράφεται. οἷον. συντακτὴρ, συντακτῆρος, συντακτήριος, ἀστὴρ, ἀστέρος, ἀστέριος, αἰθὴρ, αἰθέρος, αἰθέριος, ὀλετὴρ, ὀλετῆρος, ὀλετήριος, οὕτω καὶ ἀὴρ, ἀέρος, ἀέριος, καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς η ἠέριος); Lexicon in carmina Gregorii Nazianzeni, eta 23 (ἠερίων· τῶν ἀερίων ὀρνέων); ibid., eta 31 (ἠ<ε>ρίη· ἀερία); Eustathius, Comm. Il., vol. 1, p. 217 (Τὸ δέ «ἠερίη», ἐὰν ἀντὶ τοῦ ὀρθρινή, ὡς εἴρηται, λαμβάνηται, πλεονασμὸν ἔχει τοῦ ε. ἦρ γὰρ ὁ ὄρθρος καὶ κλίνεται ἦρος ἦρι, οἷον «ἦρι μάλα Ἑλλήσποντον πλεούσας». ὅθεν καὶ ἠὼς ἠριγένεια, ὡς ἀλλαχοῦ εἴρηται. ἠρίη γοῦν ἡ ὀρθρινὴ καὶ πλεονασμῷ ἠερίη, οἷον καὶ τὸ «ἠερίη γέ τοι παρέζετο καὶ λάβε γούνων». τινὲς δὲ ἠερίαν τὴν ἀερίαν νοοῦσιν· οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν εἰς οὐρανὸν κάτωθεν ἀνελθεῖν, εἰ μὴ διὰ μέσου ἠέρος ἤτοι ἀέρος); ibid., vol. 1, p. 589 (Ἠέριαι δὲ τοῖς Πυγμαίοις αἱ γέρανοι ἐπιτίθενται, ὅ ἐστι πρωϊναὶ ἢ διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος πετόμεναι); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 421 (Ἠερίβοια […] Τὸ δὲ ἠερίαι, ὃ σημαίνει τὸ ὄρθριαι, ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἠέρι δοτικὴν, ἀντὶ τοῦ σκοτία· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἦρι, ὃ δηλοῖ πρωῒ, (‘Ἦρι μάλα’) γίνεται ἠρίαι· καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ε, ἠερίαι, ὡς πλέθρον, πέλεθρον); Scholia in Oppianum, Hal. 1.430 (ἠέριοι· εἰς τὸν ἀέρα, ἐναέριοι); ibid., 2.397 (Ἠερίην· ἀερώδη. πνοήν· τὴν τοῦ ἀέρος)
Comment
Derivational etymology. The word is derived from ἀήρ "air", and then a formal change of /a/ to /ē/ yields the required form. This etymology is designed to account for Il. 1.497 ἠερίη δ᾽ ἀνέβη μέγαν οὐρανόν Οὔλυμπόν τε "she [Thetis] went at early morn to the great sky and the Olympus". In this line some scholars said that since the only way to go to heaven is by air, ἠερίη must be a derivative of ἀήρ. As usual, Greek grammarians start from the form they know, ἀήρ, and derive from it the Homeric form with η, assuming a pathos. In fact the Homeric word is ἠήρ, and it does not mean "air" but "(morning) mist" – "air" is a secondary meaning. Ἠέριος is indeed derived from ἠήρ with the older meaning. Since ἦρι is the contracted form of ἠέρι, this etymology is also formally correct from the modern point of view (although semantically it is not). The Et. Magnum has an alternative hypothesis, deriving it from ἠέρι, dative of "mist", and assuming that ἠερίη means "misty, dark"