ἕδρα

Validation

Yes

Word-form

ἕδνα

Transliteration (Word)

hednon

English translation (word)

bride-price

Transliteration (Etymon)

hedrā

English translation (etymon)

seat

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum, epsilon p. 57

Ed.

F.W. Sturz, Orionis Thebani etymologicon, Leipzig, 1820

Quotation

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

Translation (En)

Hednon "bride-price": from hēsō "I will please", one obtains *hēdanon, and through dropping of the [a] *hēdnon and hednon. Because the brides rejoice (hēdontai) in them. Or it is from hezō "to sit", *hedō, *hedomai, *hedοnon and hednon, because it is what makes the bride sit next to and stay by the groom.

Comment

This is a functional etymology: the function of the bride-price is to settle the bride in her husband's house, to provide a sitting place, a seat for her. This etymology relies on the identical initial sequence [hed] and on what we would call a change of suffix. Notice that the derivational chain is exactly the same as for the other etymology, that is, there is an intermediate step *hedοnon (a ghost word) as there was a *hēdanon in the other etymology. That suggests that the one was designed after the other, as a modification of it

Parallels

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. Od. 1, 58 (δασύνεται δὲ τὸ ἕδνα, ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑδράζω κατὰ τοὺς παλαιούς. ἕδρανόν τι ὂν, τὸ τὸν γάμον στηρίζον, καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ ἕδνον. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἥδω, ἥδανόν τι ὂν, τὸ ἡδύνον τοὺς λαμβάνοντας, καὶ ἐν συγκοπῇ καὶ συστολῇ τοῦ η εἰς ε, ἕδνον. καθὰ καὶ μύρον ἑδανὸν ὀξυτόνως ἐν Ἰλιάδι, τὸ ἡδύ); 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); ibid. p. 383 (Καὶ τὰ ἕδνα δὲ τὰ εἰς τὴν ἕδραν τῆς νύμφης διδόμενα); Etym. Symeonis, epsilon 18 (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); Scholia Od. 1.277i Pontani (ἕεδνα] “ἕεδνα” τὰ τὴν ἕδραν καὶ παραμονὴν προξενοῦντα τῇ νύμφῃ)

Modern etymology

From PIE *h1wed-no-, matching Slavic věno "bride-price" and also found in Germanic (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre