Ἄρης
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Etymon-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
Source
Ref.
Ed.
Quotation
Ὠρίωνος Ἀροῦν· παρὰ τὸν Ἄρεα, ὅτι σιδήρῳ τέμνεται ἡ γῆ
Translation (En)
(Orion) Aroûn "to plough" comes from Ares, because the soil is cut by iron
Parallels
Etym. Genuinum, alpha 1213 (Ἀροῦν· τὸ ἀροτριᾶν· παρὰ τὸν ἄρεα, τὸν σίδηρον· σιδήρῳ γὰρ τέμνεται ἡ γῆ); Sophronius Gramm., Excerpta ex Joannis Characis commentariis in Theodosii Alexandrini canones, p. 425 (ὅσοι δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἄρης τοῦτο [sc. ἀρόω] ὑπέλαβον εἶναι, διὰ τοῦ ω εἶπον αὐτό, σιδήρῳ γὰρ οἱ ἀροτριῶντες τέμνουσι τὴν γῆν); Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, alpha 185 (ἄρουρα: κυρίως ἡ ἠροτριαμένη γῆ· παρὰ τὸ ἀρῶ ἀρόσω ἄρορα καὶ ἄρουρα. τὸ δὲ ἀρῶ παρὰ τὸ Ἄρης, ὃ σημαίνει τὸν σίδηρον· σιδήρῳ γὰρ τέμνεται διὰ τὴν ὕνιν. διαφέρει γῆ καὶ ἄρουρα· γῆ λέγεται ἁπλῶς πᾶσα ἡ ξηρά, ἄρουρα δὲ ἡ πρὸς σπορὰν καρπῶν ἐπιτηδεία); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 147 (Ἀρῶ παρὰ τὸ ἄρης, ὁ σίδηρος· σιδήρῳ γὰρ τέμνεται ἡ γῆ διὰ τὴν ὕνιν. Ὁ μέλλων, ἀρόσω); Etym. Symeonis, 1, p. 218 (ἀροῦν· ἀρόω ἀρῶ, ἀρόσω […]. σημαίνει δὲ τὸ ἀροτριᾶν· παρὰ τὸν ἄρεα, τὸν σίδηρον· σιδήρῳ γὰρ τέμνεται ἡ γῆ); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, alpha p. 308 (idem).
This etymology may be hinted at in Nonnos, Dion. 9.211 ὑμέτερον γὰρ || ἤροσε μοῦνον Ἄρηα
Comment
This paronymic etymology relies on a metonymic use of the theonym Ares meaning "iron". This usually refers to weapons, Ares being the god of war, but here "iron" is taken as referring to a tool, the ploughshare. A similar principle etymologizing a common noun through a different metonymic use of the same theonym is found elsewhere, see ἀρετή / Ἄρης