ἕλος
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
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 (helei); 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
Parallels
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, epsilonμ 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
Paronymic etymology relying on a metonymy and deriving the name of the animal from its habitat: swamps are not the usual habitat of deers, but the initial syllable was identical in a psilotic state of Greek