Ἄρης + ἵστημι

Validation

Yes

Word-form

ἄριστον

Transliteration (Word)

ariston

English translation (word)

morning meal, breakfast

Transliteration (Etymon)

Arēs + histēmi

English translation (etymon)

Ares + make to stand

Author

Eustathius of Thessalonica

Century

12 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Commentarii ad Homeri Odysseam 1, 79

Ed.

G. Stallbaum, Eustathii archiepiscopi Thessalonicensis commentarii ad Homeri Odysseam, 2 vols. in 1, Leipzig: Weigel, 1:1825; 2:1826

Quotation

Ἰστέον δ’ ὅτι τρισὶ τροφαῖς ἐχρῶντο οἱ παλαιοί. ὧν τὸ πρῶτον, ἐκαλεῖτο ἄριστον, γινόμενον πάνυ πρωῒ ἅμ’ ἠοῖ φαινομένῃφι, ἄρεος ἱσταμένου. ὡς καὶ ἡ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἐτυμολογία δηλοῖ. εἶτα, τὸ δεῖπνον μεθ’ ὃ ἔδει πονεῖν, ὃ καὶ ἄριστον φασί τινες. τρίτον δὲ, δόρπος. ἐναντίον ἀρίστῳ. ἡνίκα δόρυ παύεται. ὅπερ ἡμεῖς παρὰ τὸ δεῖν τότε ὕπνου, δεῖπνον καλοῦμεν

Translation (En)

One must know that the Ancients had three meals. The first one was called ariston, it was taken early “as dawn appeared”, when fighting (Ares, god of war) was beginning, as the etymology of the noun makes it clear. Then, the deipnon, after which one has to work, which some call ariston. And the third one, the dorpos "dinner", which is the opposite of the ariston, when the spear (doru) comes to rest (pauetai). This one is called by us deipnon, because it is necessary (deîn) then to go to sleep (hupnou)

Comment

This etymology, found only here, was probably designed as an improvement on the etymology deriving ἄριστον from Ares (see ἄριστον / Ἄρης), but saying nothing about the end of the word. It reflects the familiar opposition between derivational etymology and compositional etymology. Here the verb ἵσταμαι allegedly accounts for the second element of the compound, although the reduplicated present stem ἵστα- is never found as a second element in compounds. It is an etymology ex antonymo, designed in opposition to δόρπον / δόρυ + παύω

Parallels

There are no parallels

Modern etymology

Ἄριστον belongs probably with αὔριον and the derivatives of "dawn" (contra Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

No

Entry By

Le Feuvre