This etymology parses the word as a compound, the second element of which is the verb neiphein, owing to the fact that kelainephēs is an epithet of Zeus and Zeus is the sky god who is the cause of rain and snow. The verb neiphein "to snow" is taken here as a mere equivalent for "to rain" because it was convenient for phonetic reasons, and since νείφω was assumed to be the etymon of νέφος (see νέφος / νείφω), this etymology is in line with the etymology of νέφος. It is an elliptic etymology, as the first element, kelainos, obsolete in Greek, is not given explicitly, but translated into a modernized equivalent (melainonta). As the etymology κελαινεφής / κελαινός + νέφος, it implies a syncope. This explanation is found in both the A scholia and the bT scholia and must date back to the 4th c. AD at least