σπουδή + γομόω

Validation

Yes

Word-form

σπόγγος

Transliteration (Word)

spongos

English translation (word)

sponge

Transliteration (Etymon)

spoudē + gomoō

English translation (etymon)

haste + to load

Author

Orion

Century

5 AD

Source

Idem

Ref.

Etymologicum (Excerpta e cod. Vat. gr. 1456) 205

Ed.

A.M. Micciarelli Collesi, "Nuovi `excerpta' dall' `etimologico' di Orione," Byzantion 40 (1970): 521-542

Quotation

Σπόγγος: διὰ τὸ σπουδῇ γομοῦσθαι

Translation (En)

"Sponge" (spongos): because it "loads" (gomoûsthai) "hastily" (spoudēi)

Comment

Descriptive etymology parsing the word as a compound, relying on the characteristic feature of the sponge that it absorbs liquids. It implies to start from a pre-form *spoud-gom, to which two formal manipulations are applied: change of the [d] into [g] (which is facilitated by the fact that γ and δ are two adjacent letters in the alphabetic order) and change of the [ou] into [o]. Those manipulations remain implicit

Parallels

There is no parallel

Modern etymology

The word is connected with Lat. fungus "mushroom" and Arm. sunk "mushroom, cork-tree", but has no PIE etymology and must be a loanword in those three languages (Beekes, EDG)

Persistence in Modern Greek

Σπόγγος is still used in MG to designate: 1. The marine creature, 2. the object deriving from that creature. Modern Greek also has σφουγγάρι, deriving from σφογγάριον < σφόγγος < σπόγγος, giving derivatives (e.g., σφουγγαρίζω; Triandafyllidis, D. of MG)

Entry By

Le Feuvre