ἐν + ἀργός
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Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
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Quotation
Ἐναργέστατος· καὶ ἐναργῶς, τὸ φανερῶς· παρὰ τὸ ἀργός τὸ σημαῖνον τὸ<ν> λευκόν καὶ ⟦κα⟧θαρόν, ἐξ οὗ καὶ φανερόν, γίνεται ἐναργής μετὰ τῆς ἔν προθέσεως, καὶ ἐναργῶς ἐπίρρημα· ἐκ τούτου καὶ ἐνάργεια, ἡ φανε⟦ρότης⟧.
Translation (En)
Enargestatos "most manifest", and enargôs "visibly"; from argos which means "white" and "pure", hence "visible", comes enargēs, with the prefix en "in", and enargôs "visibly", the adverb. From there comes enargeia, the quality of what is visible.
Parallels
Eustathius, Comm. Od. 1, 78 (παρὰ δὲ τὸ ἀργὸν, οὐ μόνον ὁ ἐναργὴς γίνεται, καὶ ὁ λέπαργος βοῦς ἤτοι ὁ λαπάρας ἔχων λευκὰς, ἀλλὰ καὶ λέπαργός φασιν ἡ χιὼν παρὰ τὸ λευκαίνειν τὸ λέπας. καὶ ἄργεμος, νόος ὀμμάτων); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 337 (Ἐνάργεια: Ἡ τῶν λόγων λευκότης καὶ φανότης· ἀργὸν γὰρ τὸ καθαρόν· ἐνέργεια δὲ καὶ ἡ ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ταχυτής)
Comment
This is the correct explanation, except for the fact that for modern etymologists the second element is there neuter s-stem ἄργος "whiteness, speed", which is preserved in the toponym Argos, not the adjective ἀργός "shining, quick". But since the former was lost in Greek except in the toponym, the latter was the only etymon identifiable. What is ἐναργής is what has brightness in it.