βραχύς + κίων
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Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Quotation
Βραχίονες, οἷον βραχυκίονες· βραχύτεραι γὰρ τοῦ λοιποῦ μέρους τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ πήχεως
Translation (En)
Brakhiones "upper arms", *brakhu-kiones "short pillars", as it were. Because they are shorter than the other part of the arm, the forearm
Parallels
Meletius, De natura hominis, p. 118 (καὶ βραχίων μὲν, οἷον βραχυκίων· βραχύτερον γάρ ἐστι τοῦ μηροῦ, τὸ ὀστοῦν τοῦ βραχίονος); Choeroboscus, Epimerismi in Psalmos, p. 119 (παρὰ τὸ βραχὺς καὶ τοῦ κίων, βραχυκίων ὤν τις, ὁ βραχύτερος (sic) τῶν λοιπῶν μερῶν τοῦ σώματος); Joannes Mauropus, Etymologica nominum 217 (βραχίων ὡσανεὶ βραχὺς κίων); Etym. Gudianum, beta, p. 285 (Βραχίονες· παρὰ τὸ βραχεῖς κίονας εἶναι τῆς χειρός); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 211 (Βραχίων: Εἴρηται, ὅτι βραχύτερός ἐστι τοῦ λοιποῦ μέρους τῶν χειρῶν· ἢ ἐκ τοῦ βραχὺς καὶ τοῦ κίων, βραχυκίων τὶς ἐστί)
Comment
This etymology understands the fact that the upper part of the arm is a form of βραχύς "short" and the motivation, which is that it is shorter than the forearm. But instead of analyzing the noun as the comparative of βραχύς, it operates with a compound implying a syncope, *βραχυ-κίων "short pillar", with a second element κίων, κίονος. This shows not only that the former comparative was completely lexicalized and replaced in the function of comparative by βραχύτερος (Attic), but also that the fact that βραχίων was a noun and not an adjective was felt as a difficulty which led to the explanation of the word as a compound with a noun as its second element