ἐλαφρός
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
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Ed.
Quotation
<Ἔλαφος>· ... ἢ ὅτι τὸ κέρας αὐτοῦ θυμιώμενον ἐλαύνει τοὺς ὄφεις· ἢ διὰ τὴν κουφότητα καὶ τὸ τάχος, ἐλαφρός τις ὤν. ‖ ἔλαφος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἕλκειν τοὺς ὄφεις· τάχα δὲ ὅτι ἐλαφρά ἐστιν
Translation (En)
Elaphos ("deer"): […] or because its horn, burned, drives snakes away; or because of its lightness and its speed, an elaphros "light", as it were. || The name elaphos comes from "to chase (elkein) snakes (opheis) away", but maybe it is because the animal is light
Parallels
Joannes Mauropus, Etymologica nominum 308 (Φύσει δ’ ἐλαφρὸς ἔλαφος πρὸς τὸν δρόμον); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 326 ( Ἔλαφος: Τὸ ζῷον· ἢ διὰ τὴν κουφότητα καὶ τὸ τάχος, ἐλαφρή τις οὖσα· ἢ διὰ τὸ ἕλκειν τοὺς ὄφεις καὶ ἀναιρεῖν διὰ τῶν μυκτήρων· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐλαύνειν τοὺς ὄφεις· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔλος, ἔλαφος· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἑλεῖν τοὺς ὄφεις, ἕλοφός τις οὖσα. Τούτους γὰρ ἐσθίουσα καθαίρεται φυσικῶς); Etym. Symeonis, epsilon 281 (Ἔλαφος· τὸ ζῷον· ἢ διὰ τὴν κουφότητα καὶ τὸ τάχος ἐλαφρός τις ὤν· ἢ διὰ τὸ ἐλᾶν τοὺς ὄφεις· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἕλους); Scholia in Oppianum, Hal. 238 (Ἔλαφον· ἔλαφος ἢ διὰ τὴν κουφότητα καὶ τὸ τάχος, ἐλαφρά τις οὖσα, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἑλεῖν καὶ φονεύειν τοὺς ὄφεις, ἢ διὰ τὸ ἐν ἕλει ἢ ἐν τῷ δάσει φαίνεσθαι); Ps-Zonaras, Lexicon, epsilon, p. 685-686 (Ἔλαφος. ἡ διὰ τῆς κουφότητος καὶ τοῦ τάχους ἐλαφρά τις οὖσα. ἢ διὰ τὸ ἑλεῖν τὰς ὄφεις καὶ ἀναιρεῖν διὰ τῶν μυκτήρων. ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἕλους ἔλαφος, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐλαύνειν τὰς ὄφεις)
Comment
This is a descriptive etymology which is semantically simple: the deer is quick, and what is light is swift (see the symmetrical idea in the etymology βραδύς / βαρύς). The animal is supposedly named after one of its physical characteristics. That implies a formal manipulation, the dropping of [r]. This is an instance of reversible etymology, for the etymology deriving ἐλαφρός "light" from ἔλαφος "deer" is attested first (see ἐλαφρός / ἔλαφος)