χέω + ῥοή
Word
Validation
Yes
Word-form
χαρά
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
khara
English translation (word)
joy
Transliteration (Etymon)
kheō + rhoē
English translation (etymon)
to pour + flow
Century
4 BC
Source
Idem
Ref.
Cratylus 419c7-8
Ed.
J. Burnet, Platonis Opera, Oxford UP, 1903
Translation (En)
Other translation(s)
Modern Greek: Η χαρά μοιάζει με τη λεγόμενη "διάχυση" και ευκολία της ροής της ψυχής
Modern etymology
Χαρά belongs with χαίρω "rejoice at, take pleasure in", cognate with Sanscrite háryati "to enjoy, take pleasure in", Lat. hortor "to exhort", OHG gern "eager", Engl. yearn. PIE root *gher(H)- (Beekes, EDG)
Persistence in Modern Greek
"Χαρά" is still used in Modern Greek with the same meaning: 'joy, pleasure' (Triandafyllidis, Dictionary of MG)
Entry By
Maria Chriti
Comment
This fanciful etymology imagines a portmanteau word from khein "to pour" (which is the root of diakhusis) and rhoē "flow", taking the initial consonant of each: [kh-r]-ā, with the feminine ending -ā. The liquid consonant [r] was associated by Plato with flowing, hence here rhoē