βένθος

Word

Validation

Yes

Word-form

πένθος

Word-lemma

LSJ

Etymon-lemma

LSJ

Transliteration (Word)

penthos

English translation (word)

grief

Transliteration (Etymon)

benthos

English translation (etymon)

depth, abyss

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. regio Paris. 2630), p. 189

Ed.

G.H.K. Koës, Orionis Thebani etymologicon (ed. F.G. Sturz), Leipzig: Weigel, 1820 (repr. Hildesheim: Olms, 1973)

Quotation

Πένθος κυρίως τὸ ἐπὶ τοῖς κατοιχομένοις πάθος, διὰ τὸ ἐν βαθυτάτῳ εἶναι τὴν λύπην τὴν ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς· ἢ διὰ τὸ βαθυτάτω εἶναι τοὺς τεθνεῶτας· τὸ δὲ κατώτατον καὶ ἀφανὲς, βένθος ἔλεγον, καὶ μεταθέσει τοῦ β εἰς π, πένθος. δύναται δὲ τὸ τοῦ πάθους τῆς ψυχῆς ἁπτόμενον. ὁ δὲ Ἡρωδιανὸς παρὰ τὸ πάθος, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ν, ὡς βάθος βένθος

Translation (En)

Penthos ("grief"), properly applies to the emotion suffered for dead ones, because the sorrow about them is felt deepest; or because the dead are in the depths (bathutatō): the lower, invisible world used to be called benthos ("depth") and through change of [b] to [p], <one obtains> penthos. It means also the passion (pathos) which affects the soul. And Herodian says it comes from pathos ("passion"), through adjunction of [n], as in bathos ("deep") / benthos ("depth")

Comment

This etymology relies on a formal manipulation, the change of one letter between two words forming a minimal pair in the modern linguistic sense, from voiced [b] to voiceless [p]. Two different semantic explanations are suggested: in the first one, penthos applies to the deepest grief, that for a death, and the depth referred to is that of the soul of the mourner which experiences penthos. In the second one, the depth is that of the underworld which received the dead one, which is an external motivation

Parallels

Epimerismi homerici ordine alphabetico traditi, pi 107 (idem); Etym. Gudianum, pi, p. 459 (Πένθος, παρὰ τὸ βένθος· ἀπὸ βάθους γὰρ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐξέρχεται) Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 660 (Πένθος: Κυρίως ἐπὶ τῶν κατοιχομένων· παρὰ τὸ ἐν βαθυτάτῳ εἶναι τὴν ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς λύπην· παρὰ τὸ βάθος, πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ν, καὶ τροπῇ τῶν στοιχείων· ἢ διὰ τὸ ἐν βαθυτάτῳ εἶναι τοὺς τεθνεῶτας. τὸ δὲ κατωτάτω καὶ ἀφανὲς βένθος ἐλέγετο. Ὁ δὲ Ἡρωδιανὸς παρὰ τὸ πάθος λέγει); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, pi p. 1536 (Πένθος. διάθεσις ψυχῆς σκυθρωπὴ, ἐπὶ στερήσει τινὸς τῶν καταθυμίων συνισταμένη, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ βιούντων χώραν οὐκ ἔχει. ἢ αἴσθησις ἀλγεινὴ τῆς τῶν εὐφραινόντων στερήσεως. εἴρηται πένθος παρὰ τὸ βάθος, καὶ πλεονασμῷ καὶ τροπῇ τῶν στοιχείων γίνεται πένθος. κυρίως δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν κατοιχομένων. παρὰ τὸ ἐν βαθυτάτῳ εἶναι τὴν ἑαυτῶν λύπην. ὁ δὲ Ἡρωδιανὸς, παρὰ τὸ πάθος πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ν καὶ τροπῇ πένθος).

The etymology is hinted at by Philippus Monotropus, Dioptra 1.10 (μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ καὶ ὀδυρμοῦ καὶ στεναγμοῦ καὶ πένθους / ἐκ βάθους τῆς καρδίας σου ἀπὸ ψυχῆς)

Modern etymology

Πένθος is the older neuter meaning "passion, that which s.o. suffers", whereas πάθος is a remodeled form with a zero grade. The root is that of πάσχω, *bhendh- (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Πένθος is still used in Modern Greek to designate: 1. 'the grief over a loss of a beloved person', 2. 'the period of time during which several procedures are followed after a person's death, 3. 'the sign of a loss', e.g., a blak ribbon on the slieve.

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