ἤλιθα
Word
Validation
No
Word-form
ηλίθιος
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
ēlithios
English translation (word)
idle, vain, foolish
Transliteration (Etymon)
ēlitha
English translation (etymon)
very much, exceedingly
Century
1 BC
Source
idem
Ref.
Pap. Iandan. I 2
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
ἤλι]θα πολλήν ἤλιθα χύδην, μ̣[άτ]ην, ὡς καὶ λέγομεν χυδαῖος ἄ̣[νθ]ρωπος καὶ ἠλίθιος, ὅταν πλῆ[θος ἐ]μφαίνειν θέλωμεν ἢ ἀταξίαν [
Translation (En)
ēlitha pollēn. ēlitha "in a mess, in vain". As when we call a man khudaios and ēlithios "foolish", when we want to emphasize quantity or disorder
Parallels
Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 427 (Ἠλίθιος: Ὁ ἀνόητος καὶ μωρός· παρὰ τὸ ἅλιον, τὸ μάταιον. Ἐκ τοῦ ἅλιος οὖν, ἀλίϊος· καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ θ, ἀλίθιος καὶ ἠλίθιος. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἤλιθα ἐπίρρημα, ὁ πάντα χύδην ποιῶν, καὶ ἀδιακρίτως. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ λίθος, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ α. Ἢ παρὰ τὴν ἅλα)
Modern etymology
Derivative of ἤλιθα
Persistence in Modern Greek
MG still has ηλίθιος "naive, mindless"
Entry By
Le Feuvre
Comment
Correct derivational etymology. The adverb ἤλιθα is given the meaning of its derivative ἠλίθιος and assumed to mean "madly"