τίθημι

Word

Validation

Yes

Word-form

θίς

Word-lemma

LSJ

Etymon-lemma

LSJ

Transliteration (Word)

this

English translation (word)

heap (of sand)

Transliteration (Etymon)

tithēmi

English translation (etymon)

tu put, to place

Author

Philoxenus

Century

1 BC

Reference

fr. 104

Edition

C. Theodoridis, Die Fragmente des Grammatikers Philoxenos [Sammlung griechischer und lateinischer Grammatiker (SGLG) 2. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1976

Source

Orion

Ref.

Etymologicum, theta, p. 73

Ed.

F.G. Sturz, Orionis Thebani Etymologicum, Leipzig 1820

Quotation

θίς· ὁ σωρός. παρὰ τὸ θῶ, τὸ τιθῶ, θίς· ἐφ’ οὗ συνέβη θεῖναι

Translation (En)

This "heap", comes from *thō which means "to place" (tithô), this. That on which something was put

Comment

This is a rather simple descriptive etymology relying on paronymy. From the monosyllabic verb θῶ (monosyllabic verb forms are the kernel of Philoxenus' system), no formal manipulation is required. The reduplicated present stem τίθημι may have played a role in suggesting this derivation since it has the vowel [i]

Parallels

Orion, Etymologicum, theta, p. 73 (θίς· ὁ σωρός. παρὰ τὸ θῶ· ἀφ’ οὗ συνέβη θεῖναι); Etym. Gudianum, theta, p. 263 (Θὶς, ἐπὶ τοῦ σωροῦ δύναται· παρὰ τὸ θῶ, ἀφ’ οὗ θεῖναι καὶ ἐπιθεῖναι. θὶς διὰ τοῦ ἰῶτα, τὰ γὰρ εἰς ις δικατάληκτα διὰ τοῦ ἰῶτα γράφεται); ibid., iota, p. 282 (Ἲς, σημαίνει τὸ νεῦρον. γίνεται παρὰ τὸ ἔω τὸ ὑπάρχω, ὁ μέλλων ἔσω. ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὄνομα ῥηματικὸν ἲς, ὡς θήσω θὶς, καὶ ῥήσω ῥηγμίς); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 450 (Θίς: Θηλυκῶς λέγεται ὁ αἰγιαλός· ‘Ἐκβάντες ἐπὶ θῖνα’. Παρὰ τὸ θέω, τὸ τρέχω· ἐν γὰρ τῷ αἰγιαλῷ θέουσι καὶ τρέχουσι τὰ κύματα. Ἢ παρὰ τὸ θένω, τὸ τύπτω· ἐν γὰρ τῷ αἰγιαλῷ θένονται καὶ τύπτονται τὰ κύματα· εἰς ὃν ἐγκρούουσι τὰ κύματα. Ἀρσενικῶς δὲ σημαίνει τὸν σωρόν· καὶ γίνεται παρὰ τὸ θῶ, ὡς τὸ, ‘πολὺς δ’ ἀμφ’ ὀστεόφιν θίς’. Ὅ ἐστι σωρός); ibid. p. 452 (Θίς: Ὁ αἰγιαλός· παρὰ τὸ θέω· ὁ παραθέων τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ παρήκων, ὁ εἰς ὕψος ἀναθέων. Οὕτως Ὦρος. Ὅμηρος, ‘πολὺς δ’ ἀμφ’ ὀστεόφιν θίς’. Παρὰ τὸ εἰς ὕψος ἀναθεῖν. Θὶς, ἐπὶ τοῦ σωροῦ· Παρὰ τὸ θῶ, ἀφ’ οὗ θεῖναι καὶ ἐπιθεῖναι); ibid. p. 461 (θῶ, τὸ τίθημι, ἐξ οὗ καὶ θὶς, ὁ σωρὸς τῶν χρημάτων); Ps.-Zonaras, Lexicon, theta, p. 1068 (Θῶ. τὸ τίθημι. ἐξ οὗ καὶ θὶς, ὁ σωρός); ibid. p. 1045 (Θίς. ὁ αἰγιαλός. θηλυκόν. παρὰ τὸ θέω, τὸ τρέχω. ἐν γὰρ τῷ αἰγιαλῷ θέουσι καὶ τρέχουσι [τὰ κύματα.] ἢ παρὰ τὸ θένω, τὸ τύπτω, γίνεται θίς. σημαίνει καὶ τὸν σωρὸν ἀρσενικῶς. παρὰ τὸ θῶ, τὸ τιθῶ, θίς); Gennadius Scholarius, Grammatica 2, p. 456 (θῶ, τὸ τίθημι, ἐξ οὗ θίς, ὁ σωρός, καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ τίθημι)

Modern etymology

Unknown

Persistence in Modern Greek

Modern Greek still has θίνα (fem.), from the singular accusative of θις, used in plural and referring to a heap of sand. There also exists the phrase "Παρά θιν' αλός" ("right where the sea reaches the sand").

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