The word is parsed as a compound, according to the general principle of analysis of "long" words. The etymology relies on mere phonetic similarity. From the semantic point of view, it is a descriptive etymology, which relies on a Homeric association (Il. 3,271-272 μάχαιραν, ἥ οἱ πὰρ ξίφεος μέγα κουλεὸν ἀιὲν ἄωρτο "the dagger which was always suspended next to the large scabbard of the sword", where ἄωρτο is the passive perfect of ἀείρω). The technique of justifying an etymology through a Homeric collocation was a usual one for scholiasts.. In that case the Homeric quotation was lost, if ever it was explicit in the original formulation. It implies a compound in which the first element is either a Locative (Choeroboscus, Etym. Magnum, see below, Parallels) or expresses aim (Zenodorus). The elision of the last vowel of the first element of the compound (in their analysis) is regular