δαύω + ἕρπω
Word
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Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
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Quotation
δόρπον τὸν καθ’ ἡμᾶς δεῖπνον. καὶ ἔστιν δαύορπον, μεθ’ ὃ ἐπὶ τὸ δαύειν ἕρπομεν, ὅ ἐστι κοιμᾶσθαι
Translation (En)
Dorpon "dinner", which we call δεῖπνον; it is a *dauorpon, that after which we go (herpomen) to spend the night (dauein), that is, to bed
Parallels
bT Scholion Il. 24.2 (δόρπον <δαύερπον>, μεθ’ ὃ ἐπὶ τὸ δαύειν ἕρπομεν, ὅ ἐστι κοιμᾶσθαι ἐπὶ δορῶν. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ δρέπεσθαι τοὺς πόνους. ἢ δόροπόν τι ὄν, τὸ μετὰ τὴν παῦσιν τῶν δοράτων); Etym. Gudianum, delta p. 374 (Δόρπος· εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ ἕρπειν ἡμᾶς ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ εἰς ὕπνον); T Scholion Il. 2.381 (τὸ δὲ τρίτον δόρπον, τὸ καθ’ ἡμᾶς δεῖπνον· καὶ ἔστι κατὰ τὸ ἔτυμον ἰαύερπον, ὅταν εἰς τὸ ἰαύειν πορευώμεθα, ὅ ἐστι κοιμᾶσθαι, ἢ παρὰ τὸ παῦσιν ἔχειν τοῦ δόρατος); Etym. Symeonis, delta 331 (Δόρπος· ἡ περὶ τὴν ἑσπέραν ἑστίασις· παρὰ τὸ ἕρπειν ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸ δαύειν, ὅ ἐστι κοιμᾶσθαι· ἢ παρὰ τὸ οἱονεὶ παύεσθαι λοιπὸν τηνικαῦτα τοὺς πολεμοῦντας τοῦ δόρατος, ὅ ἐστι τοῦ πολέμου, καὶ ἡσυχάζειν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ δρέπεσθαι τοὺς πόνους); Scholia et glossae in Oppiani Halieutica 1, 79 (δόρπος ἡ πρὸς ἑσπέραν τροφὴ, μεθ’ ἣν ἐπὶ τὸ ἰαύειν ἕρπομεν, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ δρέπεσθαι τοὺς πόνους, ἢ δοροπόν τι ὂν τὸ μετὰ τὴν παῦσιν τῶν δοράτων); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 283 (Δόρπος: Ὁ δεῖπνος, ἡ περὶ τὴν ἑσπέραν ἑστίασις· κυρίως ἡ ἑσπερινὴ τροφή· ἀπὸ τῶν δερμάτων· ὅτι ἐπὶ δερμάτων καθήμενοι ἐσιτοῦντο. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ δρέπεσθαι τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ τοὺς πόνους δρέπειν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕρπειν ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸ δαύειν, ὅ ἐστι κοιμᾶσθαι. Οὕτως Ὦρος. Ἐγὼ δέ φημι, ὡς εὗρον σχόλιον παρακείμενον ἐν τῷ βʹ τῆς Ἰλιάδος· δόρπος εἴρηται, παρὰ τὸ οἱονεὶ παύεσθαι τηνικαῦτα λοιπὸν τοὺς πολεμοῦντας τοῦ δόρατος, ὅ ἐστι τοῦ πολέμου, καὶ ἡσυχάζειν); Ps-Zonaras, Lexicon, delta p. 559 (idem)
Comment
The word is parsed as a compound, the second element of which is derived from a motion verb ἕρπω "to creep", hence more generally "to go" through the (implicit) assumption of an e ~ o alternation of the usual type (ἕρπω / *ὅρπος = λέγω / λόγος). The first element is related to an Aeolic verb attested in Sappho (fr. 83 LP) and in Hesychius (Lexicon, delta 322: δαύειν· κοιμᾶσθαι). This dialectal form was understood by Greek grammarians as a variant of ἰαύω "to spend the night", and is considered a ghost word by some modern linguists, who assume the transmitted text of Sappho is corrupt. The fact that no such form is attested in Ionic did not bother Greek etymologists. This etymology is parallel to the symmetrical explanation of δεῖπνον "after which one has to work" (see δεῖπνον / δεῖ + πόνος) in that the etymology relies on a metonymic relationship, "after which we go to bed". From the formal point of view, it implies a syncope, which is explicit in Apollonius' formulation