αἷμα + χαίρω
Word
Validation
Word-form
Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Ed.
Quotation
Μάχαιρα· διὰ τὸ χαίρειν τοῖς αἵμασιν
Translation (En)
Makhaira "knife": because of the fact it rejoices (khairein) in blood (haimasi)
Parallels
Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Vat. gr. 1456) 137 (idem); Epimerismi Homeric ordine alphabetico traditi, mu 37 (μάχαιραν (Γ 271): […] παρὰ τὸ⸥ αἵματι χαίρειν); Etym. Gudianum, mu, p. 38-382 (Μάχαιρα, διὰ τὸ μάχεσθαι ῥᾷον· ἢ διὰ τὸ μάχεσθαι πᾶσι φύσεσι, καὶ τόνον ἐμποιεῖν βίᾳ· ἢ παρὰ τὸ μάχῃ χαίρειν· ἢ ὅτι αἷμα χέει· ἢ παρὰ τὸ τοῖς αἵμασι χαίρειν· ἢ παρὰ τὸ εἰς μάχην αἴρεσθαι καὶ λαμβάνεσθαι· ἢ διὰ τὸ χέειν αὖθις τὸ αἷμα); Eustathius, Comm. Il. 2, 441 Van der Valk (Καίτοι ἕτεροι ὥσπερ φάσγανον ἀπὸ τοῦ σφαγαῖς γάνυσθαι καὶ μάχαιραν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵμασι χαίρειν, οὕτω καὶ χάρμην ἀπὸ τοῦ χαίρειν αἵμασιν εἰρῆσθαί φασι); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges p. 574 (Ἐτυμολογεῖται παρὰ τὸ ἐν τῇ μάχῃ αἴρεσθαι .... παρὰ τὸ ἐν αἵματι χαίρειν)
Comment
The word is parsed as a compound of χαίρω, as in other etymological proposals for this word. The first element is identified as αἷμα: it implies a formal manipulation, dropping of the diphthong, which amounts to reducing αἷμα to the suffix. This etymology can count for the military use of the word as well as for the usual one "knife"