ῥάβδος

Validation

Yes

Last modification

Fri, 07/30/2021 - 11:25

Word-form

βραβεῖον

Transliteration (Word)

brabeion

English translation (word)

prize

Transliteration (Etymon)

rhabdos

English translation (etymon)

staff

Author

Etym. Genuinum

Century

9 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etym. Genuinum, beta 235

Ed.

F. Lasserre and N. Livadaras, Etymologicum magnum genuinum. Symeonis etymologicum una cum magna grammatica. Etymologicum magnum auctum, vol. 1, Rome: Ateneo, 1976

Quotation

Βραβεῖον· ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥάβδος ῥαβδεῖον καὶ καθ’ ὑπέρθεσιν τοῦ β βραδεῖον καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ δ εἰς τὸ β βραβεῖον. ῥάβδος δὲ σημαίνει τὸ βασιλικὸν σκῆπτρον, ἐξ οὗ καὶ βραβευταὶ λέγονται οἱ τὰς βασιλικὰς ῥάβδους κατέχοντες καὶ τοῖς νικῶσι τοὺς στεφάνους διδόντες. καὶ βραβεῖον λέγεται ὁ παρὰ τῶν βραβευτῶν διδόμενος στέφανος τῷ νικῶντι

Translation (En)

Brabeion ("prize") : from rhabdos ("staff"), and through metathesis *bradeion, and through change of the [d] into [b] brabeion. Rhabdos is the name of the royal sceptre, from which the arbiters (brabeutai) also get their name, they who hold the royal sceptre and give the crowns to the winners. And brabeion is the name of the crown given by the arbiters to the winner

Comment

This etymology relates the name of the prize won in a game to a material attribute of the arbiter, the staff (rhabdos), although the staff is not in itself the prize. It relies on a metonymic relationship between arbiter with his insignia and prize. It seems that it is derived from the etymology of brabeutēs "arbiter" derived from rhabdos, which is attested first (Orion) and is semantically more understandable (see βραβευτής / ῥάβδος). Afterwards, since clearly brabeion and brabeutēs are cognate, Greek etymologists sought to derive also brabeion from rhabdos, building on the existing etymology. From the formal point of view, two manipulations are implied, metathesis and change of a consonant (notice that for brabeutēs the initial [b] is explained differently)

Parallels

Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 210 (idem); Etym. Symeonis, vol. 1, p. 490 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, beta, p. 284 (Βραβεῖον· παρὰ τὸ ῥάβδος ῥαβδεῖον καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ δ εἰς β καὶ ἐν ὑπερβιβασμῷ τοῦ ἑτέρου β βραβεῖον. λέγεται δὲ τὸ βασιλικὸν σκῆπτρον, ἐξ οὗ καὶ βραβευταὶ οἱ τὰς βασιλικὰς ῥάβδους βαστάζοντες καὶ τοῖς νικῶσι τοὺς στεφάνους διδόντες)

Modern etymology

Unknown

Persistence in Modern Greek

Βραβείο designating "prize" is still used in Modern Greek, as well as βραβεύω "to award a prize"

Entry By

Le Feuvre