ἀ- + μνόος

Validation

Yes

Last modification

Sat, 07/31/2021 - 14:27

Word-form

ἀμνός

Transliteration (Word)

amnos

English translation (word)

lamb

Transliteration (Etymon)

a- + mnoos

English translation (etymon)

not + down

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, alpha, p. 19

Ed.

F. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig: Weigel, 1820

Quotation

Ἀμνός, στερητικὸν τοῦ α ἔγκειται. ὁ ἐκ τοῦ μνοῦ μεταβεβηκώς. μνοῦς δὲ λέγεται ἡ μαλακὴ θρὶξ ἡ ἐκ γενετῆς παντὸς ζώου

Translation (En)

Amnos "lamb" is composed of the privative a-, it means the one which has gone out of the down; and mnous "down" is the soft wool which every animal has at birth

Comment

The word is parsed as a privative compound, the second element of which is the name of the thin hair which covers newborn animals. It implies that the amnos is already older since it has real wool. The etymology is purely paronymic. It may have been devised in order to avoid the vocalic syncope implied by the other etymology (see ἀμνός / ἀ- + μένος).

Parallels

Etym. Genuinum, alpha 633 (Ἀμνός· τὰ πρόβατα, μάλιστα τὰ μικρά· παρὰ τὸ μένος ἄμενος καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν ἀμνός, οἱονεὶ ὁ ἀδύνατος, καὶ παρώνυμον ὑποκοριστικὸν ἀμνίς. ἢ παρὰ τὸ μνοῦς, ὅπερ σημαίνει τὴν ἐκ γενετῆς μαλθακὴν αὐτοῦ τρίχα, ἐξ οὗ μνούδην, γίνεται ἀμνός, οἱονεὶ ὁ ἐστερημένος τῶν νηπίων τριχῶν); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 116 (Ἀμνός· ὁ ἁπαλὸς καὶ τρυφερός· παρὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν μένος. ‖ ἢ παρὰ τὸ μνοῦς μετὰ τοῦ στερητικοῦ α καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ υ ἀμνός· μνοῦς δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἁπαλωτάτη θρὶξ τῶν ἀρτιγενῶν ζώων); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 84 (Ἀμνός: Ὁ ἁπαλὸς καὶ τρυφερός. Ἀμνὶς καὶ ἀμνὸς, τὰ πρόβατα τὰ μικρά. Παρὰ τὸ μένος, μετὰ τοῦ στερητικοῦ α, ἄμενος· καὶ συγκοπῇ ἀμνὸς, οἱονεὶ ὁ ἀδύνατος. Καὶ παρωνόμασται ὑποκοριστικῶς ἀμνίς. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ μνοῦς (ὅπερ σημαίνει τὴν ἐκ γενετῆς μαλθακὴν αὐτοῦ τρίχα, ἐξ οὗ μνούδην,) γίνεται ἀμνὸς, οἱονεὶ ὁ ἐστερημένος τῶν νηπίων τριχῶν); Etym. Symeonis ωολ. 1, p. 410 (ἀμνός, οἱονεὶ ὁ ἐστερημένος τῶν νηπίων τριχῶν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 143 (ἀμνὸς, παρὰ τὸ μένος ἄμενος, ἢ παρὰ τὸ μνοῦς, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν ἐκ γενετῆς αὐτοῦ μαλακὴν τρίχα, ἐξ οὗ μνούδην, γίνεται ἀμνὸς, οἱονεὶ ὁ ἐστερημένος τῶν νηπίων τριχῶν)

Modern etymology

Ἀμνός, isolated within Greek except for its derivatives (ἀμνίον, ἀμνεῖος), is the old PIE word for "lamb", cognate with Lat. agnus and OCS agnę "lamb". PIE *h2egwno- (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Αμνός is used in MG to designate 1. The newly-born lamb, 2. lamb meat, 3. Jesus Christ (ο Αμνός του Θεού). Αμνοσκοπεία also survives to denote the 'prediction of future by observing the backbone of a slaughtered lamp (Triandafyllidis, Dict. of MG).

Entry By

Le Feuvre