ἀραιόω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Ἄρουραν, παρὰ τὸ ἀροῦν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀραιοῦσθαι αὐτὴν γεωργουμένην. κυρίως δὲ ἡ πρασορὰν (copy mistake for πρὸς σποράν) καὶ ἀροτρίασιν ἐπιτηδείαν
Translation (En)
Aroura "arable land": from "to plough" (aroûn), or from the fact that it is made porous (araioûsthai) when it is ploughed. Properly it refers to the land which is apt for sowing and ploughing
Parallels
Etym. Genuinum, alpha 1212 (Ἄρουρα· ἡ γῆ· κυρίως ἡ πρὸς σπορὰν καὶ ἄροσιν ἐπιτηδεία· παρὰ τὸ ἀροῦν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀραιοῦσθαι τὴν γεωργουμένην γῆν); Etym. Parvum, alpha 3 (Ἄρουρα· παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ, τὸ ἀροτριῶ· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀραιοῦσθαι τὴν γεωργουμένην γῆν); Choeroboscus, De orthographia (epitome) (e cod. Barocc. 50) p. 271 (ἀρεῖος ὁ ἀσθενῆς· πρόσκειται ἀρσενικὰ, διὰ τὸ νειὸς ἄρουρα, σημαίνει δὲ τὴν ἀρεουμένην γῆν); Etym. Gudianum, alpha, p. 203 (Ὠρίωνος Ἄρουρα· παρὰ τὸ ἀραιοῦσθαι <αὐ>τὴν γεωργουμένην. κυρίως δὲ ἡ πρὸς σπορὰν καὶ ἄροσιν ἐπιτηδεία. ‖ ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ, τὸ ἀροτριῶ· ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀραιοῦσθαι τὴν γῆν τὴν γεωργουμένην); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 147 (Ἄρουρα: Ἡ γῆ· κυρίως, ἡ ἠροτριασμένη, ἢ ἡ πρὸς σπορὰν καὶ ἄροσιν ἐπιτηδεία. Ἀρῶ, ἀρόσω, ἄρουρα. Καὶ ἄρουρα, παρὰ τὸ ἀροῦν, ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀραιοῦσθαι τὴν γεωργουμένην γῆν); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha, p. 299 (Ἄρουρα. κυρίως ἡ γῆ, ἡ πρὸς σπορὰν ἐπιτηδεία γῆ. παρὰ τὸ ἀροῦν. ἢ παρὰ τὸ ἀραιοῦσθαι τὴν γεωργουμένην γῆν); Schol. vetera in Opera et dies 463 (διὸ καὶ ἐπάγει (v. 463) ‘νειὸν δὲ σπείρειν ἔτι κουφίζουσαν ἄρουραν·’ ἡ γὰρ ἄγαν ὑπὸ τῶν ὄμβρων πιληθεῖσα συμπίπτει, ἡ δὲ ἀραιὰ καὶ κούφη τῷ ἀρότρῳ εἴκουσα ῥᾳδίως διὰ χαυνότητα δέχεται τὸν σπόρον)
Comment
This is a paronymic explanation which was designed for one context, the explanation of Hesiod, Op. 463 (νειὸν δὲ σπείρειν ἔτι κουφίζουσαν ἄρουραν), where the land is said to be "lighter" (κουφίζουσαν) thanks to ploughing, and ready for sowing. Now ἀραιόω "to make porous" can be considered equivalent to κουφίζω "to make lighter" when referring to the soil. So that from the collocation ἄρουρα + κουφίζω was taken the idea that ἄρουρα is apt for sowing because it is lighter, so that the "deep meaning" must be "made lighter", and the verb ἀραιόω "to make porous" was phonetically and semantically close enough to be assumed as the etymon. This relies on the usual scholiastic principle that a syntagmatic co-occurrence is the trace of an etymological relationship. Here, however, it is indirect because ἄρουρα does not co-occur with ἀραιόω, but with its "synonym" κουφίζω. From the formal point of view, this etymology implies dropping the diphthong [ai]. It is probably older than Orion