ἥδομαι
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
ἕδνα τὰ πρὸ τοῦ γάμου ὑπὸ τοῦ νυμφίου διδόμενα δῶρα τῇ νύμφῃ. παρὰ τὸ ἥδω τὸ εὐφραίνω ἥδανον καὶ συγκοπῇ καὶ συστολῇ ἕδνον. ἥδονται γὰρ τούτοις οἱ γαμούμενοι
Translation (En)
Hedna "bride-price" are the gifts given by the groom to the bride. It comes from hēdō "to please, to rejoice", *hēdanon, and through syncope and shortening hednon. Because the young couple rejoice in them
Parallels
Orion, Etymologicum, epsilon p. 57 (Ἔδνον. παρὰ τὸ ἥσω ἡδανὸν ἐστὶ, καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ α ἡδνὸν καὶ ἔδνον. ἥδονται γὰρ τούτοις αἱ γαμούμεναι. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἔζω. ἔδω ἔδομαι, ἐδονὸν καὶ ἔδνον, παρὰ τὸ αἴτιον εἶναι τοῦ παρέζεσθαι, καὶ παραμένειν τὴν νύμφην τῷ νυμφίῳ); Etym. Gudianum, epsilon p. 400 (Ἕδνον· ... παρὰ τὸ ἥδω ἥδανον ἕδνον· ἥδονται γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ αἱ κοῦραι); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, epsilon p. 400 (Ἕδνον· ἤ⟦τοι⟧ παρὰ τὸ ἥδω ἥδ⟦ανόν ἐστι⟧ καὶ ἀποβολῇ τοῦ α ἧ⟦δνον⟧ καὶ ἕδνον· ἥδον⟦ται γὰρ⟧ τούτοις αἱ γ⟦αμούμεναι⟧· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕ⟦ζω⟧ ἕδω καὶ ἔδομαι ἕδονον καὶ ἕδνον, παρὰ τὸ αἴτιον εἶναι τοῦ παρέζεσθαι καὶ παραμένειν τὴν νύμφην τῷ νυμφίῳ); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 1, 234 (ὥσπερ κόπτω κόπανον καὶ ἔχω ὄχανον, τὸ τῆς ἀσπίδος κράτημα, [δρέπω δρέπανον, ἥδω καὶ ἐν συστολῇ ἕδω ἕδανον καὶ ἕδνον κατὰ συγκοπήν); Ibid. 2, 684 (ὥσπερ καὶ ἕδνα εἴρηται παρὰ τὸ τὴν νύμφην ἥδειν, ἥδανά τινα ὄντα, καὶ ἐν συστολῇ καὶ συγκοπῇ ἕδνα); ibid. 3, 603 (ἐκ τοῦ ἥδω, ἐξ οὗ ἡδανός καὶ κατὰ μεταβολὴν ἑδανός. διὸ καὶ δασύνεται, ὡς καὶ τὸ ἕδνον, ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτὸ παραγόμενον); Eustathius, Comm. Od. 1, 58 (ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἥδω, ἥδανόν τι ὂν, τὸ ἡδύνον τοὺς λαμβάνοντας, καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ καὶ συστολῇ τοῦ η εἰς ε, ἕδνον); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 316 (Ἕδνα: Τὰ πρὸ τοῦ γάμου ὑπὸ τοῦ νυμφίου διδόμενα δῶρα τῇ νύμφῃ· ἤγουν ἐξώπροικα. Παρὰ τὸ ἥδω, τὸ εὐφραίνω, ἥδανον· καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ καὶ συστολῇ, ἕδνον, τὸ αἴτιον ὂν τοῦ παρέζεσθαι καὶ παραμένειν τὴν νύμφην τῷ νυμφίῳ. Οὕτως Ὠρίων); Etym. Symeonis, epsilon 81 (Ἕδνα· τὰ πρὸ γάμου διδόμενα δῶρα τῇ νύμφῃ ὑπὸ τοῦ νυμφίου· ἤγουν ἐξώπροικα παρὰ τὸ ἥδω, τὸ εὐφραίνομαι, ἥδανον καὶ συγκοπῇ καὶ συστολῇ ἕδνον· ἥδονται γὰρ τούτοις αἱ γαμούμεναι· ἐκ τούτου ἔδνον ἐδνωτής, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕζω ἕδανον καὶ συγκοπῇ ἔδνον, τὸ αἴτιον ὂν τοῦ παρέζεσθαι); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, epsilon p. 612 (ἔδνα δὲ λέγει τὰ πρὸ τοῦ γάμου διδόμενα τῇ νύμφῃ. παρὰ τὸ ἥδω, τὸ εὐφραίνομαι, ἡδανὸν καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ καὶ συστολῇ τοῦ η εἰς ε ἔδνον, ἥδονται γὰρ τούτοις αἱ νύμφαι. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἕζω ἕδανον καὶ κατὰ συγκοπὴν ἔδνον, τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ παρέζεσθαι καὶ παραμένειν τὴν νύμφην τῷ νυμφίῳ. οὕτως Ὦρος ὁ Μιλήσιος); Schol. Od. 1.277j Pontani (ἕεδνα] ἀπὸ τοῦ ἥδω τὸ εὐφραίνω, τὰ ἡδονὴν ἐμποιοῦντα)
Comment
This etymology relies on two formal manipulations, explicit in Herodian's formulation. The first one is a syncope which eliminates the [a] in the intermediate step *hēdanon, the second one is the shortening of ē > ĕ (which relies on the usual alternation between long and short vowel). If the order of the operations is reversed, the intermediate step would be hedanos "sweet", a Homeric adjective, which may be the reason for this derivation. The fact that the Homeric form for "bride-price" is ἔεδνα, not ἕδνα, is not mentioned, which betrays the usual ahistorical approach of Greek grammarians: whereas for modern linguists etymology must account for the older form attested (here the Homeric ἔεδνα), and must not take as its starting point a younger form (ἕδνα), Greek grammarians usually choose the form which was more convenient for their purpose, and very often select the younger form because it is the one they are familiar with, paying no attention to linguistic chronology (in fact, they do not think in terms of chronology, but rather of dialectal differences, putting on a same chronological level forms which belong to different levels as we now know); see an illustration of that ahistorical character in ἀμφορεύς / ἀμφί + αἴρω. From the semantic point of view, a gift is supposed to please the beneficiary, so that the association was fairy natural