ἐλλός

Validation

Yes

Word-form

ἔλαφος

Transliteration (Word)

elaphos

English translation (word)

deer

Transliteration (Etymon)

ellos

English translation (etymon)

fawn

Author

Etym. Gudianum Additamenta

Century

11 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, epsilon p. 450

Ed.

E. de Stefani, Etymologicum Gudianum 1 , Leipzig 1909

Quotation

Ἔλαφος· ἔλοφός τις οὖσα παρὰ τὸ ἑλεῖν τοὺς ὄφεις· ἢ ὁ ἐν ἕλει τὰς διατριβὰς ἔχων· ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐλλός, τὸ ἔλαφος, παρήχθη παραγ⟦ώγ⟧ως ἔλ⟦α⟧φος, ὡς κ⟦όρ⟧σ⟦η⟧ κό⟦ρ⟧σαφος καὶ ἐν ὑ⟦περβιβασμῷ⟧ καὶ τροπῇ τοῦ ⟦ς⟧ εἰς τ κρό⟦τα⟧φος. ⟦οὕτως οὖν ἔλαφος⟧

Translation (En)

Elaphos "deer": it is an *elophos, as it were, from the fact that it catches (heleîn) snakes (opheis); or because it lives in swamps; or the name elaphos was derived from the name of the "fawn", ellos, as from korsē "temple" *korsaphos and through metathesis and change of [s] into [t] krotaphos "temple", so elaphos

Comment

This etymology is of the mimetic type: since the adult deer (A) evolved from the fawn (B), the name of the fawn (B') is assumed to be the etymon of the name of the deer, (A') as in the extralinguistic reality the former is the "origin" of the latter. The noun ἔλαφος is analyzed as a derivative in -αφος, for which a parallel is provided, that of two names of the "temple", according to the analogical principle. This etymology also implies to delete the geminate [ll] and to replace it by a single consonant, which means that geminates were no longer pronounced. As a matter of fact, modern etymologists consider that both words are related, since ἐλλός comes from *h1el-no- "deer" and ἔλαφος from *h1el-n̥-bho- "deer". Note that the word is also written with rough breathing (ἑλλός) ; see e.g. Choeroboscus, De spiritibus, 195, 28 Valckenaer

Parallels

There is no parallel

Modern etymology

Derivative of the old name of the deer, PIE *h1el-n-, found in Slavic jelenь, Lith. élnis, Arm. ełn (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

The usual word in Modern Greek is ελάφι, while the older έλαφος is preserved as a learned form

Entry By

Le Feuvre