μερίζω + ὄψ

Validation

Yes

Word-form

μέροψ

Transliteration (Word)

merops

English translation (word)

mortal

Transliteration (Etymon)

merizō + ops

English translation (etymon)

to divide + voice

Author

Apollonius Soph.

Century

1 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Lexion homericum, p. 111

Ed.

I. Bekker, Apollonii Sophistae lexicon Homericum, Berlin, 1833

Quotation

μερόπων τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν μεμερισμένην τὴν ὄπα ἐχόντων, ἔναρθρον, παρὰ τὰ ἄλλα ζῷα

Translation (En)

Meropōn are men, those who have a speech (opa) which is divided (memerismenēn), that is, articulate, by comparison to other animals

Comment

Descriptive etymology referring to a fundamental aspect of human language. The word is analyzed as a compound with "voice" as its second element (for Greek authors, ὄψ "voice" and ὄψ "sight" were not well distinguished). Interestingly, in Christian authors (see Parallels) another meaning is put forward, and the word is understood as meaning "with different languages", which comes from the Biblical episode of the Babel tower

Parallels

Etymology 1, "articulate": Ps.-Herodian, Partitiones p. 81 (μέροψ, ὁ ἄνθρωπος, καὶ κλίνεται μέροπος, ἀπὸ τοῦ μεμερισμένην ἔχειν τὴν ὄπα, ἤτοι τὴν φωνήν· μόνον γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων ζώων ὁ ἄνθρωπος λογικός); Epiphanius, Panarion 1, p. 176 (ὅθεν καὶ Μέροπες οὗτοι κέκληνται διὰ τὴν μεμερισμένην φωνήν); Epiphanius, De mensuris et ponderibus 736 (idem); Hesychius, Lexicon, mu 886 (διὰ τὸ μεμερισμένην ἔχειν τὴν ὄπα, ἤγουν τὴν φωνήν); ibid. lambda 291; Ammonius of Hermeias, On Aristotle’s “On Interpretation” 38.9-10 (τὸ δὲ [μέροψ ὄνομα] καθ' ὃ μεριστὴν ἔχει φωνὴν); Philoponus, in Aristotelis Analytica posteriora commentaria, vol. 13, 3, p. 363 (ὡσαύτως καὶ μέροψ λέγεται παρὰ τὸ μεμερισμένην καὶ ἔναρθρον ἔχειν τὴν ὄπα); Chronicon paschale p. 45 (ὅθεν καὶ μέροπες αὐτοὶ κέκληνται διὰ τὴν μεμερισμένην φωνήν); John of Damascus, De haeresibus 3 (δι’ ἣν αἰτίαν καὶ Μέροπες πάντες κέκληνται διὰ τὴν μεμερισμένην φωνήν); Photius, Lexicon, mu 286; Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, mu 17 (μέροψ (Β 285): ὁ ἄνθρωπος· συνώνυμον. γίνεται παρὰ τὸ μείρω, τὸ μερίζω, ὁ μεμερισμένην τὴν φωνὴν ἔχων καὶ ἔναρθρον ὡς πρὸς σύγκρισιν τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων, ἐπειδὴ ἐὰν εἴπῃ ἄνθρωπος, μερίζεται εἰς συλλαβάς); Lexica Segueriana, mu 298; Suda, mu 640; Etym. Gudianum, mu p. 387; Eustathius, Comm. Il. 1, 152; Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 580; Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, mu p. 1341; Michael Psellus, Opuscula logica, physica, allegorica, alia Opusc. 48.26: τὸ δὲ [μέροψ] διὰ τὸ μεμερίσθαι τὴν φωνήν

Etymology 2, "separate, distinct": Malalas, Chronographia 2, 18 (διὸ καὶ μέροπες κέκληνται οἱ ἄνθρωποι διὰ τὸ μερισθῆναι αὐτῶν τὰς λαλιὰς εἰς πολλὰς γλώσσας καὶ φωνάς); John of Antioch, fr. 2, 17 Roberto (δι’ ἣν ἐμερίσθησαν αἱ γλῶτται τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἐκλήθησαν μέροπες); Suda, sigma 254 (δι’ ἣν ἐμερίσθησαν αἱ γλῶσσαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐκλήθησαν μέροπες)

Modern etymology

Unclear

Persistence in Modern Greek

The word is not used in Modern Greek

Entry By

Maria Chriti