ἄνω + ἵστημι
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Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Quotation
ἄστυ: παρὰ τὸ ἄνω ἵστασθαι· οἱ γὰρ ἀρχαῖοι ἐφ’ ὑψηλοῦ τόπου τὰς πόλεις ᾠκοδόμουν
Translation (En)
Astu "town" comes from "to set up upwards" (anō histasthai), for the Ancients used to build their cities in a high place
Parallels
Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 221 (idem); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 160 (Ἄστυ: Ἡ πόλις. Φιλόχορος ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τῆς Ἀτθίδος φησίν· Ἄστυ δὲ προσηγόρευσαν τὴν πόλιν διὰ τὸ πρότερον νομάδας καὶ σποράδην ζῶντας τότε συνελθεῖν καὶ στῆναι ἐκ τῆς πλάνης εἰς τὰς κοινὰς οἰκήσεις, ὅθεν οὐ μετανέστησαν. Οὕτως Ὠρίων περὶ ἐθνικῶν. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἄνω ἵστασθαι· οἱ γὰρ ἀρχαῖοι ἐφ’ ὑψηλῶν τόπων τὰς πόλεις ᾠκοδόμουν); Etym. Symeonis 1, p. 266; Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 324 (Ἄστυ. παρὰ τὸ ἄνω ἵστασθαι· οἱ γὰρ ἀρχαῖοι ἐφ’ ὑψηλοῦ τόπου ᾠκοδόμουν τὰς πόλεις); Schol. vet. Apoll. Rhodii Argonautica 696, p. 59 (ἄστυ: ἐτυμολογεῖ Εὔμολπος τὴν λέξιν ἄστυ λέγων παρὰ τὸ <ἄνω> ἵστασθαι· ἐπὶ μετεώρου γὰρ κεῖνται αἱ πόλεις)
Comment
The word is parsed as a compound of ἵστημι, as in the competing etymology. The initial [a] is understood as the adverb ἄνω, related to the preverb ἀνά indicating an upward move. This is a descriptive etymology, as indeed most towns are built on hills or rocks to offer protection