ἀρά
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
ἀρητήρ ὁ ἱερεύς, ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν θυόντων τὰς εὐχὰς ποιεῖσθαι. ὅθεν νῦν ἀρώματα ἐπιθυμιάματα
Translation (En)
Arētēr is the “priest" (hiereus), called thus from the fact that he makes prayers (eukhas) on behalf of those who sacrifice. And this is the origine of the word arōmata "aromas", meaning "fumigations" (epithumiamata)
Parallels
D Schol. Il. 1.10 (Ἀρητῆρα. Ἱερέα. παρὰ τὸ ἀρᾶσθαι, ὅ ἐστιν εὔχεσθαι); Epimerismi homerici Il. 1.11 (ἀρητῆρα: παρὰ τὴν ἀράν, ἀράτης, τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς η Ἰωνικῇ. ἀρατήρ δὲ παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ, ἀρᾷς, ἀράσω, ἀρατήρ, ἢ παρὰ τὸ αἴρω, τὸ κουφίζω, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρέσκειν Θεῷ); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 192-193 (Ἀρητῆρα· Ἰωνικῶς τροπῇ τοῦ α εἰς η <ἀρατῆρα ἀρητῆρα. παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ ἀρᾷς ἀράσω> ἀρατήρ καὶ ἀρητήρ. τὸ δὲ ἀρῶ παρὰ τὸ ἀρά [τὸ εὔχομαι, ἀράσω ἤρακα ἤραμαι ἤρασαι ἤραται ἠρατήρ ὑπερθέσει τοῦ α εἰς η καὶ τοῦ η εἰς α ἀρητήρ]. τοῦτο παρὰ τὸ αἴρω, τὸ κουφίζω, <διὰ> τὸ εἰς ὕψος αἴρειν τὰς χεῖρας. λέγεται <δὲ ἀρὰ> καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ καὶ ἡ κατάρα, ἴσως ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἄρεος βλαπτικοῦ ὄντος); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 192 (Ἀρητήρ· ὁ ἱερεύς. παρὰ τὸν ῥήσω μέλλοντα· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρᾶσθαι, ὅ ἐστιν εὔχεσθαι· ἢ παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν τὰς χεῖρας εἰς προσευχήν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρέσκειν θεῷ); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 140 (Ἀρητήρ: Ὁ ἱερεύς· παρὰ τὰς ἀρὰς ἃς ποιεῖται· ἢ παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν τὰς χεῖρας εἰς ὕψος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρέσκειν θεῷ· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ ἀρᾷς, ἀράσω, ἀρατὴρ, καὶ ἀρητὴρ Ἰωνικῶς, τροπῇ τοῦ ἄλφα εἰς η); Etym. Symeonis vol. 1, p. 192 (ἀρητήρ (Ε 78)· ὁ ἱερεύς· παρὰ τὰς ἀράς); Geneva Schol. Il. 1.11 ([ἀρητῆρα] ἀρητὴρ δὲ παρὰ τὸ αἴρειν τὰς χεῖρας εἰς εὐχήν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρέσκειν)
Comment
Elliptic etymology: the etymon ἀρά is not given explicitly, but only its synonym εὐχή is given, and it is left to the reader to identify the real etymon behind εὐχάς. The complete formulation would be ἀπὸ τοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν θυόντων τὰς ἀράς, ὅ ἐστιν εὐχάς, ποιεῖσθαι. The reason is probably that ἀρά originally meant "prayer" but that in 1st century koine it was specialized in the meaning "malediction", which of course could not account for ἀρητήρ, so that in the older meaning it had to be "translated" into a synchronic equivalent. This etymology, which identifies ἀρητήρ as a derivative of ἀρά "prayer" (in fact, of the denominative ἀρἀομαι), is the correct one according to modern criteria.