ἐλαύνω + ὄφις
Word
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Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Ed.
Quotation
Ἔλεξε καὶ τοῦτο ὁ Φυσιολόγος· οἱ ἔλαφοι ὅπου ἐὰν καταντήσωσιν ὄφιν, καταπίνουσιν αὐτόν, καὶ τρέχει καὶ ἐλαύνεται σφοδρῶς
Translation (En)
The Physiologus also said that: the deers (elaphoi), whenever they come across a snake (ophin), devour it, and the snake flies and is chased away (elaunetai) violently
Parallels
Hippolytus, Fragmenta in Proverbia 10 (Ἄλλως δέ. ἡ σοφία ἤτοι οὖν ἔλαφος τοὺς τῶν ἑτεροδόξων ὀφιώδεις λόγους πέφυκεν ἐλαύνειν καὶ ἀναιρεῖν); Orion, Etymologicum, alpha, p. 3, ap. Etym. Genuinum, alpha 882 (Ἄνθος· παρὰ τὸ ἄνω θεῖν καὶ τρέχειν ἐν τῷ αὔξεσθαι. οὐκ ἀναστρέφουσι δὲ αἱ ἐτυμολογίαι· οὐ γὰρ εἴ τι ἄνω θεῖ καὶ αὔξεται, τοῦτο καὶ ἄνθος λέγεται. ἰδοὺ γὰρ πάντα τὰ φυτὰ ἄνω θέουσι καὶ αὔξουσιν, καὶ ὅμως ἄνθη οὐ λέγονται. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἔλαφος παρὰ τὸ ἐλαύνειν τοὺς ὄφεις εἴρηται, ὅπερ ποιεῖ τούτου τὸ κέρας θυμιώμενον· καὶ οὐκ, εἴ τι τοῦτο †ποιοῦν, τοῦτο καὶ ἔλαφος λέγεται· ἡ γὰρ δίκταμος βοτάνη καιομένη τοῦτο ποιεῖ, καὶ οὐδέποτε ἂν κληθείη ἔλαφος. οὕτως Ὠρίων ὁ Θηβαῖος); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 108 (idem); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 146 (idem); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 191 (idem); 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); 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); Tzetzes, Exegesis in Homeri Iliadem A, 225 (ἔλαφος δὲ λέγεται παρὰ τὸ ἐλαύνειν τοὺς ὄφεις)
Comment
This is an implicit etymology, which is found under an explicit form in later sources (see Parallels). It gives a functional etymology to the name of the animal: one of its function is allegedly to chase snakes away (in fact, this power is attributed to the burned horn of the deer; see e.g. Aelian, NA 2.9). The first part of the quotation is not etymological, it describes the assumed reaction of deers supposed to devour snakes. The second part is etymological, this is why the snake (ophis) is chased away (elaunetai). The word is parsed as a compound which would be of the type μενεπτόλεμος (verb + COD). The necessary formal manipulations are not dealt with, since this is not a work about etymology. A variant of this etymology is found with other verbs as a second element (see αἱρέω + ὄφις, ἕλκω + ὄφις)